--- title: "Questions with a preposition" level: B1 chapter: "Word order" canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/preposition-questions updated: 2026-10-09 author: Dutch Fluency license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) --- # Questions with a preposition When a question is about a thing and needs a preposition (a small linking word like _met_, _op_ or _over_), Dutch uses _waar_ plus that preposition: _Waarover gaat het?_ or, split in two, _Waar gaat het over?_ When the question is about a person, you put the preposition before _wie_: _Met wie ga je?_ You may hear _met wat_ or _over wat_ in informal speech, but _waar_ plus a preposition is the usual form and the safe choice, especially in writing and exams. ## The pattern > For things, use _waar_ plus the preposition, joined or split. For people, use the preposition plus _wie_, together at the start of the question. - Joined: _waarover_, _waarop_, _waaraan_, _waarnaar_. This sounds slightly more formal and is common in writing. - Split: _waar_ goes first and the preposition moves to the end of the clause. If there are final verbs, it goes just before them, not after them: _Waar heb je naar gekeken?_ (see [what can come after the final verbs](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/after-the-final-verb)). This is the usual choice in speech. - After _waar_, _met_ becomes _mee_ and _tot_ becomes _toe_: _waarmee_, _Waar betaal je mee?_ - The verb decides the preposition: _kijken naar_, _wachten op_, _denken aan_ (see [verbs with a fixed preposition](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verbs-with-prepositions)). - For people, the pair does not split: _met wie_, _op wie_, _aan wie_, _van wie_. - _Wat voor_ (what kind of) can follow a preposition: _Met wat voor bus kom je?_ ## Examples | **Waar** kijk je **naar**? | What are you looking at? | | **Waarover** gaat de brief van de gemeente? | What is the letter from the council about? | | **Waar** heb je het **over**? | What are you talking about? | | **Waar** heeft Mei zich **voor** aangemeld? | What has Mei signed up for? | | **Waarmee** ga je naar je werk, met de fiets of met de trein? | How do you get to work, by bike or by train? | | **Met wie** ga je zaterdag naar de verjaardag van Sanne? | Who are you going to Sanne's birthday with on Saturday? | | **Waar** wacht je eigenlijk **op**? | What are you actually waiting for? | | **Op wie** wacht je? | Who are you waiting for? | | **Van wie** is die blauwe fiets bij de deur? | Whose is that blue bike by the door? | | Ik begrijp niet **waar** de huisarts het **over** had. | I don't understand what the GP was talking about. | ## Why it works this way Dutch usually avoids a preposition followed by a pronoun for a thing, such as _het_, _dat_ or _wat_. Instead it uses a place word and attaches the preposition to it: _ermee_ (with it), _daarmee_ (with that) and, in questions, _waarmee_ (with what). You may know the first two from [er plus a preposition](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/er-plus-preposition). So in these preposition questions, _waar_ does not mean "where" but stands for "what": _Waar kijk je naar?_ simply means "What are you looking at?" Without a preposition, as in _Waar woon je?_, it still means "where". People work differently. _Met hem_, _met haar_ and _met wie_ are normal Dutch, so the preposition stays in front of _wie_. The contrast pairs show it: _Op wie wacht je?_ expects a person (_Op Daan._), while _Waar wacht je op?_ expects a thing (_Op de bus._). _Met wie ga je?_ asks about company, _Waarmee ga je?_ about transport. Why can _waar_ travel? A question word wants the first position, while the preposition stays in its normal place near the end. One fun trap: as a question word, _waarom_ means "why", but _Waar gaat het om?_ means "What is it about?" If you speak German, _waarmee_ is your _womit_; Dutch just splits it far more freely. You will hear _met wat_ and _over wat_ in informal speech, especially in Belgian Dutch, so they are not shocking. Careful speakers and writers in the Netherlands still prefer the _waar_ form, so use that in emails, letters and exams. Remember: things get _waar_, people get _wie_. Decide first whether the answer will be a thing or a person, and the rest of the question follows. ## Watch out - Not: _Waarover gaat de vergadering over?_ Say: _Waar gaat de vergadering over?_ (use the preposition once: joined or split, not both) - Not: _Wat wacht je op?_ Say: _Waar wacht je op?_ (English "what ... for" still needs _waar_) - Not: _Wie ga je naar het feest met?_ Say: _Met wie ga je naar het feest?_ (with people, the preposition and _wie_ stay together at the start) - Not: _Waarmet betaal je hier?_ Say: _Waarmee betaal je hier?_ (_met_ becomes _mee_ after _waar_) - Not: _Waar heb je gekeken naar?_ Say: _Waar heb je naar gekeken?_ (the preposition comes before the final verb) ## Quick check 1. Joris has earbuds in. Fill in the preposition: _Waar luister je ...?_ Joris answers: _Naar een podcast over fietsen._ 2. Choose: Priya asks _(Met wie / Waarmee) ga je naar de verjaardag van Bas?_ and Ahmed answers _Met mijn buurvrouw Yara._ 3. Fix the question word, keeping it as one word: _Waarmet ga je naar je werk, met de bus of met de fiets?_ 4. Fatima finds a key in the hall and wants to know who owns it. Fill in the preposition: _... wie is deze sleutel?_ ## Answers 1. _Naar_: the verb is _luisteren naar_, and in the split form the preposition goes at the end. 2. _Met wie_: the answer is a person. 3. _Waarmee ga je naar je werk, met de bus of met de fiets?_: _met_ becomes _mee_ after _waar_. 4. _Van_: _van wie_ asks who something belongs to. ## Use it today Today, ask someone two questions about things and one about a person, for example _Waar heb je vanavond zin in?_ and _Met wie heb je vandaag geluncht?_ Check that each question about a thing uses _waar_ plus the right preposition, joined or split, and that a split preposition comes before any final verbs, as in _Waar heb je naar gekeken?_ ## Questions learners ask **How do you say "what are you looking at" in Dutch?** Say "Waar kijk je naar?" or, a little more formally, "Waarnaar kijk je?". For things, Dutch uses waar plus the preposition instead of wat, so "Wat kijk je naar?" is wrong. **Can you say "met wat" in Dutch?** For things, the usual form is "waarmee", as in "Waarmee betaal je?" or "Waar betaal je mee?". You will hear "met wat" in informal speech, especially in Belgian Dutch, but avoid it in writing and exams; "met wat voor" (with what kind of) is correct. **How do you ask "who are you going with" in Dutch?** Say "Met wie ga je?". With people, the preposition goes directly before wie at the start of the question, and you do not move it to the end as English does. From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.