The pattern
Start with of for a yes or no question, or with the question word for any other question. Then use subordinate clause order (the order of a sentence part that cannot stand alone): the subject usually comes next and the verbs go to the end.
- Yes or no: Is de winkel open? becomes Weet jij of de winkel open is?
- Question word: Waar woont Ahmed? becomes Ik weet niet waar Ahmed woont. Groups like hoe laat, hoeveel and welke bus stay together at the front.
- If the question word is itself the subject, as wie and wat can be, the rest follows straight away: Weet je wie er vanavond kookt?
- Two verbs both go to the end, and a separable verb joins up again: of ik kan komen, hoe laat de apotheek opengaat (more in Separable verbs in subordinate clauses).
- The main sentence decides the punctuation: a question mark in Weet jij of hij komt?, a full stop in Ik weet niet of hij komt.
Examples
| Weet jij of de winkel op zondag open is? | Do you know if the shop is open on Sunday? |
| Ik weet niet waar Ahmed woont. | I don't know where Ahmed lives. |
| Sanne vraagt of je morgen op kantoor bent. | Sanne is asking whether you are at the office tomorrow. |
| Kunt u me vertellen hoe laat de huisartsenpraktijk opengaat? | Can you tell me what time the GP practice opens? |
| Ik vraag me af waarom de trein vertraging heeft. | I wonder why the train is delayed. |
| Weet je wie er vanavond kookt? | Do you know who is cooking tonight? |
| Mag ik vragen hoeveel een nieuw paspoort kost? | May I ask how much a new passport costs? |
| Priya en Carlos weten nog niet of ze in mei op vakantie kunnen gaan. | Priya and Carlos don't know yet whether they can go on holiday in May. |
Why it works this way
Compare Komt Daan morgen? with Weet jij of Daan morgen komt? In the second sentence, the real question is Weet jij. The part about Daan is no longer a question of its own: it is information packed into the sentence, just like a clause after dat in Dat clauses. So it gets the same shape: a linking word at the front, the verb at the back. Of simply takes the place of dat when the answer could be yes or no. Ik weet dat Daan komt means you know he is coming; Ik weet niet of Daan komt means you have no idea.
English already does half the job: "Where does he live?" becomes "I don't know where he lives". The helper "does" disappears and the subject moves forward. Dutch takes one more step and sends the verb to the end. If you speak German, of works like ob, with the same order. Spanish speakers often reach for als, because si covers both if and whether.
Of also means or, as in koffie of thee. In that meaning it links two main clauses and leaves the word order alone: Ga je mee of blijf je thuis? (see En, maar, of, want, dus).
A small bonus: because jij now comes before the verb, the verb keeps its -t. Werk jij morgen? turns into Lotte vraagt of jij morgen werkt. (Werk jij? explains why the -t disappears in direct questions.)
Remember: the main sentence has already done the asking. Think of what follows as a box: of or the question word is the lid on top, and the verb sits at the bottom.
Watch out
NotWeet jij als de winkel open is?
SayWeet jij of de winkel open is?
for whether, Dutch uses of, not als
NotIk weet niet waar woont hij.
SayIk weet niet waar hij woont.
subject first, verb last inside the sentence
NotMijn baas vraagt of werk jij morgen.
SayMijn baas vraagt of jij morgen werkt.
no question order after of, and the -t comes back
NotWeet jij hoe laat de apotheek gaat open?
SayWeet jij hoe laat de apotheek opengaat?
a separable verb joins up again at the end
Quick check
- Choose the right word: Weet jij ... de bibliotheek vandaag open is? (als or of)
- Fix the word order: Ik weet niet waar is het station.
- Turn this into an indirect question that starts with Kunt u me vertellen: Hoe laat vertrekt de laatste trein?
- Choose the right verb form: Weet Lotte al of jij zaterdag ...? (werk or werkt)
Show the answers
- of: it is a yes or no question inside the sentence.
- Ik weet niet waar het station is. After waar, the verb goes to the end.
- Kunt u me vertellen hoe laat de laatste trein vertrekt? The question words stay at the front, the verb moves to the end.
- werkt: jij comes before the verb here, so the -t stays.
Use it today
Next time you call the GP or visit de gemeente, ask one question indirectly, starting with Weet u of or Kunt u me vertellen. Tonight, write three sentences about things you do not know yet, such as Ik weet nog niet of ik zaterdag tijd heb.