--- title: "Leaving words out in spoken Dutch" level: C1 chapter: "Word order" canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/dropping-words updated: 2026-10-09 author: Dutch Fluency license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) --- # Leaving words out in spoken Dutch In relaxed spoken Dutch you can leave out a first _dat_ or _het_ when everyone knows what it refers to: _Dat weet ik niet_ becomes _Weet ik niet_, and _Dat kan wel_ becomes _Kan wel_. Short answers repeat the verb of the question: _Heb je het gezien? Ja, heb ik._ Use this in conversation and chats, not in formal writing. ## 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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/yes-no-questions), 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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/formal-informal)). 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 - Not: _Heb je het gezien? Ja, ik heb._ Say: _Heb je het gezien? Ja, heb ik._ (a bare _ik heb_ is not a Dutch answer; the verb comes before _ik_) - Not: _Ik doe morgen._ Say: _Doe ik morgen._ (_doen_ needs an object, so drop _dat_ and start with the verb) - Not: _Morgen heb geen tijd._ Say: _Morgen heb ik geen tijd._ (only the first slot can stay empty, so _ik_ after the verb stays) ## Quick check 1. Fill in the gap: _Heb je Fatima al gebeld? Ja, ... ik._ 2. Put the dropped word back: _Wie brengt de kinderen naar zwemles? Doe ik wel._ becomes _... doe ik wel._ 3. 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?_ 4. 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."? ## Answers 1. _heb_ (repeat the verb of the question; in full: _Ja, dat heb ik._) 2. _Dat_ (it stands for the whole task of taking the children) 3. _ik_ (it comes after the verb, outside the first slot) 4. (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. ## Questions learners ask **What does "weet ik niet" mean in Dutch?** It means "I don't know" and is the casual form of "Dat weet ik niet". In spoken Dutch the opening word dat is often dropped when it is obvious from context, so the sentence starts with the verb. **How do you say "yes, I have" in Dutch?** In casual speech say "Ja, heb ik", and in neutral speech "Ja, dat heb ik"; "Ja, ik heb" on its own is not correct Dutch. The same pattern works with other verbs: "Kun je zaterdag? Ja, kan ik." **Is it wrong to leave out dat at the start of a Dutch sentence?** No, dropping dat or het at the start of a sentence is normal in relaxed conversation and chats between native speakers. In formal emails, letters to the gemeente and exam writing, use the full sentence instead. From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.