Dutch relative pronouns: die, dat, wat, wie and waar
When to use die, dat, wat, wie and waarmee in Dutch relative clauses, with clear rules, word order, commas and plenty of examples.
"The man who lives next door", "the book that I'm reading", "everything that you said". Relative clauses let you add information to a noun without starting a new sentence. English gets by with who, which and that. Dutch uses die, dat, wat, wie and waar, and the choice depends on the noun you're referring to. The rules are very logical, so let's take them one at a time.
Die and dat: the basic choice
Most of the time you choose between die and dat, and the rule is the same as for the articles:
| Noun | Relative pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| de word (singular) | die | de man die daar staat — the man who is standing there |
| het word (singular) | dat | het huis dat we kopen — the house that we're buying |
| any plural | die | de huizen die te koop staan — the houses that are for sale |
It doesn't matter whether the noun is a person or a thing. Die and dat cover both "who" and "which":
- De vrouw die naast ons woont, is arts. — The woman who lives next to us is a doctor.
- De trein die om acht uur vertrekt, is vol. — The train that leaves at eight is full.
- Het meisje dat daar zit, is mijn nichtje. — The girl who is sitting there is my niece.
- Het boek dat ik lees, is spannend. — The book I'm reading is exciting.
Note het meisje dat: meisje is a diminutive, so it's a het word, even though it refers to a girl. If you're unsure about the article, check de or het first, because the relative pronoun follows it.
English often leaves out "that": the book I'm reading. Dutch never does. You always need die or dat.
Word order: the verb goes to the end
A relative clause is a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause, just like after omdat or dat.
- De man die elke dag de krant brengt. — The man who brings the newspaper every day.
- De film die we gisteren hebben gezien. — The film we saw yesterday.
- Het huis dat ze volgend jaar willen kopen. — The house they want to buy next year.
With two or more verbs, they all cluster at the end. In the perfect tense, both hebben gezien and gezien hebben are correct.
The relative clause usually comes straight after the noun it describes, and the main clause then continues:
- De fiets die ik gisteren heb gekocht, is al kapot. — The bike I bought yesterday is already broken.
For more on verb positions, see Dutch word order.
Wat: after alles, iets, niets and whole ideas
Use wat instead of die or dat in three situations.
1. After indefinite words like alles (everything), iets (something), niets (nothing), veel (a lot) and weinig (little):
- Alles wat hij zegt, is waar. — Everything he says is true.
- Is er iets wat ik kan doen? — Is there anything I can do?
- Er is niets wat ik leuker vind. — There's nothing I like more.
After iets and niets you will also hear and read dat (iets dat), but wat is the safer choice.
2. After het enige and superlatives used as nouns:
- Het enige wat ik wil, is slapen. — The only thing I want is to sleep.
- Dat is het mooiste wat ik ooit heb gezien. — That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
3. When you refer to a whole clause, not to one noun. English uses "which" here:
- Hij kwam weer te laat, wat ik erg vervelend vond. — He was late again, which I found very annoying.
- Ze heeft een nieuwe baan, wat goed nieuws is. — She has a new job, which is good news.
Don't use wat after an ordinary noun. Het boek wat ik lees is very common in spoken Dutch, but standard Dutch requires het boek dat ik lees.
Wie: after a preposition, for people
When a preposition comes before the relative pronoun and you're talking about a person, use preposition + wie:
- De vrouw met wie ik praatte, is mijn lerares. — The woman I was talking to is my teacher.
- De collega aan wie ik het boek heb gegeven. — The colleague I gave the book to.
- De vrienden bij wie we logeren, wonen in Gent. — The friends we're staying with live in Ghent.
English can put the preposition at the end ("the woman I was talking to"). With wie, Dutch can't: the preposition always comes first, right before wie.
In informal speech you'll also hear waar for people (de vrouw waarmee ik praatte). That's widely used, but met wie is the standard choice, especially in writing.
Wie also starts a clause without any noun, meaning "whoever" or "anyone who":
- Wie dit leest, is slim. — Whoever reads this is clever.
Waar + preposition: for things
For things, you can't say met die or met wat. Instead, Dutch glues waar to the preposition: waarmee, waarover, waarin, waarop and so on.
- Het mes waarmee ik brood snijd, is bot. — The knife I cut bread with is blunt.
- Het boek waarover ik je vertelde, ligt op tafel. — The book I told you about is on the table.
- De stad waarin ik ben geboren, is klein. — The city I was born in is small.
- De bus waarop we wachten, is te laat. — The bus we're waiting for is late.
Two prepositions change their form: met becomes mee (waarmee), and tot becomes toe (waartoe).
In everyday Dutch, waar and the preposition are very often split, with the preposition just before the verbs at the end:
- Het boek waar ik je over vertelde, ligt op tafel. — The book I told you about is on the table.
- De bus waar we op wachten, is te laat. — The bus we're waiting for is late.
Both versions are correct. Which preposition you need depends on the verb (wachten op, vertellen over), so see verbs with prepositions. The waar- words work just like the er- words in the word er.
Waar alone is also used for places: Het dorp waar ik woon, is rustig. — The village where I live is quiet.
Commas: two kinds of relative clause
Dutch distinguishes between two types of relative clause, much like careful English.
Restrictive clauses tell you which one you mean. They have no comma before them:
- De studenten die hard werken, halen het examen. — The students who work hard pass the exam. (Only those students.)
Non-restrictive clauses add extra information about something that's already clear. They're placed between commas:
- De studenten, die hard werken, halen het examen. — The students, who work hard, pass the exam. (All of them work hard.)
- Mijn broer, die in Gent woont, komt morgen. — My brother, who lives in Ghent, is coming tomorrow.
A comma also commonly appears after a relative clause when two verbs would otherwise meet, as in De man die daar staat, is mijn oom. It makes the sentence easier to read. This comma is recommended but not strictly required.
Tip: Read your sentence aloud. If you'd naturally pause before the relative clause, it probably needs commas around it.
Quick summary
- Die for de words and all plurals; dat for singular het words. People and things alike.
- Never leave out the relative pronoun, unlike English "the book I read".
- The conjugated verb goes to the end of the relative clause.
- Wat after alles, iets, niets, het enige, superlatives, and when referring to a whole clause.
- Preposition + person: met wie, aan wie, bij wie.
- Preposition + thing: waarmee, waarover, waarop, often split: waar … mee.
- Commas around non-restrictive clauses; a comma after the clause between two verbs is common.
Practise it
Build your own relative clauses in Relative clauses, and get comfortable with er- and waar- combinations in The word er.