---
title: "Het as an empty subject: het regent"
level: A2
chapter: "Pronouns"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/dummy-het
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Het as an empty subject: het regent

Dutch uses _het_ as an empty subject for the weather and the time: _het regent_ (it's raining), _het is half acht_ (it's half past seven). The subject is the word the verb goes with, and this _het_ refers to nothing at all, just like English "it". You also find it in fixed phrases like _het spijt me_ (I'm sorry) and in statements like _het is belangrijk dat..._ (it's important that...).

## The pattern

> Dutch uses _het_ as an empty subject for weather and time, in some fixed phrases, and in statements like _het is belangrijk dat..._ The verb takes the same form as with _hij_.

- Weather: _het regent_, _het sneeuwt_, _het waait_ (it's windy), _het is koud_
- Time and days: _het is half acht_ (see Telling the time), _het is maandag_
- Fixed phrases: _het spijt me_ (I'm sorry), _het gaat goed_ (things are going well), _het lukt_ (it works out), _het geeft niet_ (never mind)
- Impersonal statements: _het is belangrijk dat..._, _het is leuk om te..._
- If the sentence starts with another word, _het_ moves behind the verb: _Vandaag regent het._

## Examples

| **Het regent** al de hele dag. | It has been raining all day. |
| Neem een jas mee, **het waait** hard. | Take a coat, it's very windy. |
| Vandaag **sneeuwt het** in Groningen. | It's snowing in Groningen today. |
| Kom op, Lotte, **het is** al half acht! | Come on, Lotte, it's already half past seven! |
| **Het spijt me** dat ik te laat ben, Priya. | I'm sorry I'm late, Priya. |
| Hoe gaat het met Ahmed? **Het gaat** veel beter. | How is Ahmed doing? He's doing a lot better. |
| **Het is belangrijk dat** je je paspoort meeneemt. | It's important that you bring your passport. |
| **Het is leuk om** je buren te leren kennen. | It's nice to get to know your neighbours. |
| **Het is jammer dat** Emma niet op je verjaardag komt. | It's a pity Emma isn't coming to your birthday. |

## Why it works this way

In _Daan werkt thuis_, the subject _Daan_ is a real person. In _het regent_, there is nobody to point to, but a normal Dutch statement still needs a subject. So _het_ takes the seat and means nothing.

English does the same with "it", and German with "es": _het spijt me_ works like "es tut mir leid". In Spanish, Italian or Arabic, "rains" alone can be a full sentence, so if you speak one of these, train yourself to say the _het_ every time.

In _het spijt me_, _het_ is the subject and _me_ is the person who feels sorry, so you also say _het spijt hem_ and _het spijt ons_. What you regret can follow in a _dat_ part.

In impersonal statements, the real news sits in the _dat_ part or the _om te_ part. Dutch likes to put _het_ up front and the long part at the end. Inside the _dat_ part, the verb goes to the end (see [Dat clauses](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/dat-clauses)).

Compare _Het is druk in de trein_ (it's busy on the train) with _Er zijn veel mensen in de trein_ (there are many people on the train). _Het_ describes the situation, while _er_ says that something is there (see Er is and er zijn).

Remember: _het_ here is like a bag on the empty train seat next to you. It holds the place, but nobody is sitting there.

## Watch out

- Not: _Vandaag regent._ Say: _Vandaag regent het._ (in a weather statement _het_ is required; after _Vandaag_ it follows the verb)
- Not: _Ik ben sorry._ Say: _Het spijt me._ (the standard phrase: _het_ is the subject, _me_ is the person who feels sorry)
- Not: _Hoe ben je?_ Say: _Hoe gaat het?_ (as a greeting, Dutch asks how "it" is going)
- Not: _Het geeft hier veel fietsen._ Say: _Er zijn hier veel fietsen._ (German "es gibt" is _er is_ or _er zijn_ in Dutch)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the gap: _Neem een paraplu mee, ... regent._
2. This sentence is about the weather. Fix it by adding one word: _Vandaag is erg koud._
3. Choose _Ik_, _Het_ or _Er_: _... spijt me dat ik je verjaardag ben vergeten._
4. Fix the word order: _Het is jammer dat Bas komt niet._

## Answers

1. _het_ (a weather statement needs _het_ as its subject)
2. _Vandaag is het erg koud._ (_het_ follows the verb but stays)
3. _Het_ (the fixed phrase is _het spijt me_)
4. _Het is jammer dat Bas niet komt._ (after _dat_, the verb goes to the end)

## Use it today

The next time a neighbour, colleague or cashier mentions the weather, answer with a full sentence with _het_, like _Ja, het waait echt hard vandaag!_ Then ask _Hoe gaat het?_ and listen for the _het_ in their answer.

## Questions learners ask

**Why do you say het regent in Dutch?**

Rain has no real doer, but a normal Dutch statement about the weather still needs a subject, so het fills the empty spot, just like "it" in "it rains". It stays even when the sentence starts with another word: vandaag regent het.

**How do you say I'm sorry in Dutch?**

The standard phrase is het spijt me, where het is the subject and me is the person who feels sorry. A simple sorry is also fine in everyday speech; ik ben sorry is an anglicism that careful speakers avoid.

**What is the difference between het is and er is in Dutch?**

Het is describes a situation or condition, such as het is koud (it's cold) or het is half acht (it's half past seven). Er is says that something exists or is present, like "there is" in English: er is koffie (there is coffee).

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.