The pattern
In casual Dutch the first slot of a main clause (the place before the verb) can stay empty when it would hold a known, unstressed pronoun, usually dat or het.
- Dat weet ik niet becomes Weet ik niet; Het gaat wel becomes Gaat wel.
- Short answers repeat the verb, often an auxiliary (a helping verb like hebben or kunnen): Kun je zaterdag? Ja, kan ik.
- Many fixed replies work this way: Klopt, Geeft niet, Maakt niet uit, Ligt eraan.
- In text messages a first ik often goes too: Ben er over tien minuten.
Examples
| Hoe laat sluit het gemeentehuis? Weet ik niet, kijk even op de website. | What time does the town hall close? No idea, just check the website. |
| Kunnen we de vergadering verschuiven? Kan wel, maar dan wordt het krap. | Can we move the meeting? That's possible, but it'll be tight. |
| Wie belt de verhuurder over de lekkage? Doe ik morgen, vandaag lukt het niet meer. | Who's calling the landlord about the leak? I'll do it tomorrow, today won't work. |
| Heb je de mail van Joris gelezen? Ja, heb ik, en ik snap er niks van. | Have you read Joris's email? Yes, I have, and it makes no sense to me. |
| Ga je mee naar de verjaardag van Mei? Ligt eraan: als het blijft gieten, blijf ik thuis. | Are you coming to Mei's birthday? Depends: if it keeps pouring, I'm staying home. |
| Daan zegt dat de nieuwe website vrijdag af is. Zal wel. | Daan says the new website will be done on Friday. Yeah, right. |
| Hoe gaat het met je knie? Gaat wel, alleen fietsen doet nog pijn. | How's your knee? Not too bad, only cycling still hurts. |
Why it works this way
Dutch main clauses have one slot before the verb, which comes second (see verb second). In conversation that slot often holds dat, linking back to what was just said. When the link is obvious, speakers leave it out.
The verb keeps its place. If the dropped word is an object, the subject still follows the verb: in Weet ik niet, the missing dat is what you don't know. If the dropped word is the subject, as in Gaat wel, there is no subject after the verb, but other words can still follow it, like wel here or niet uit in Maakt niet uit.
English also leaves out understood words ("Sounds good", "Doesn't matter"), but in different patterns. German speakers know "Weiß ich nicht". Spanish and Arabic drop subject pronouns freely; Dutch only empties the first slot.
A stressed pronoun stays, as in Dát weet ik niet, maar ik weet wel wie het weet. And since Kan wel starts with a verb like a yes or no question, context and a falling melody show it is a statement. Use these forms with friends, neighbours and colleagues; in emails to the gemeente or exam texts, write the full sentence (see formal and informal Dutch).
Remember: the first slot is a reserved seat. When everyone knows who would sit there, you can leave it empty, but the verb stays in seat two.
Watch out
خطأHeb je het gezien? Ja, ik heb.
صوابHeb je het gezien? Ja, heb ik.
a bare ik heb is not a Dutch answer; the verb comes before ik
خطأIk doe morgen.
صوابDoe ik morgen.
doen needs an object, so drop dat and start with the verb
خطأMorgen heb geen tijd.
صوابMorgen heb ik geen tijd.
only the first slot can stay empty, so ik after the verb stays
Quick check
- Fill in the gap: Heb je Fatima al gebeld? Ja, ... ik.
- Put the dropped word back: Wie brengt de kinderen naar zwemles? Doe ik wel. becomes ... doe ik wel.
- Ahmed texts a friend "I'm going to Carlos's on Saturday, are you coming too?" Fill in the word that cannot be left out: Zaterdag ga ... naar Carlos, ga jij ook mee?
- Priya asks in the team chat if the meeting can move to Friday. Joris replies Kan wel. Does Joris mean (a) "Is that possible?" or (b) "That's possible."?
اعرض الإجابات
- heb (repeat the verb of the question; in full: Ja, dat heb ik.)
- Dat (it stands for the whole task of taking the children)
- ik (it comes after the verb, outside the first slot)
- (b) (Joris is answering; Kan wel is short for Dat kan wel)
Use it today
In your next WhatsApp chat with a Dutch friend or colleague, answer three messages with a short form like Klopt, Weet ik niet or Ja, heb ik. Then listen at work or on the train for Maakt niet uit and work out which word is missing.