Relative clauses (die / dat / wat / wie)

Relative clauses in Dutch

A relative clause adds information about the noun before it, like English "who / which / that". In Dutch the choice of relative pronoun depends on the gender of the noun, and the verb moves to the end of the clause.

The basic rule: die versus dat

De man die daar staat is mijn vader. — The man who is standing there is my father.
Het boek dat ik lees is interessant. — The book that I am reading is interesting.

Word order: the verb goes to the end

Inside a relative clause, the conjugated verb moves to the end (like in any subordinate clause):

De vrouw die in Amsterdam woont is mijn tante. — The woman who lives in Amsterdam is my aunt.
De film die wij gisteren hebben gezien was mooi. — The film that we saw yesterday was beautiful.

Preposition + relative pronoun

When the relative clause needs a preposition:

• For people: preposition + wie

  De vrouw met wie ik praat is lerares. — The woman I am talking to is a teacher.

• For things: the combined word waar + preposition (written as one word)

  De stoel waarop ik zit is oud. — The chair I am sitting on is old. (= waar + op)

Unlike English, Dutch cannot leave a bare preposition after die/dat: "the chair I sit on" becomes de stoel waarop ik zit. In speech waar and the preposition are often split: de stoel waar ik op zit.

The relative pronoun wat: for the unspecific

Wat refers back to a whole clause, an indefinite pronoun (iets, niets, alles), or a superlative:

Hij zei iets wat ik niet begreep. — He said something that I did not understand. (after iets, dat is also accepted)
Het mooiste wat ik ooit heb gezien. — The most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

Summary table