---
title: "Relative clauses inside a sentence"
level: B1
chapter: "Word order"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/relative-clause-order
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Relative clauses inside a sentence

A relative clause (a mini-sentence that tells you more about a noun, often starting with _die_ or _dat_) usually comes straight after its noun and puts its verb at the end. When a sentence starts with a noun and its relative clause, the main verb (the verb of the main sentence) follows right after that whole group: _De man die daar staat, is mijn buurman._ That is why you often see two verbs side by side, frequently separated by a comma.

## The pattern

> A relative clause usually comes straight after its noun and has its verb at the end. If the noun starts the sentence, the main verb follows directly after the relative clause.

- Build it as noun + _die_ or _dat_ + the rest + verb: _de trein die om acht uur vertrekt_. For choosing between the two, see [Relative pronouns: die and dat](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/relative-die-dat).
- When they start the sentence, the noun and its relative clause fill the first place together, so the main verb comes next: _De trein die om acht uur vertrekt, heeft vertraging._
- Writers often put a comma where the two verbs meet. It is optional here, but it shows where the relative clause stops.
- When the clause only adds extra information about someone already clear, such as a name or _mijn moeder_, it is set off with commas: _Lotte, die bij de gemeente werkt, helpt ons._
- When the main sentence ends in a verb, the relative clause often moves behind that verb: _Priya heeft een fiets gekocht die bijna nieuw is._ This is common and correct (more in [What can come after the final verbs](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/after-the-final-verb)).

## Examples

| De man **die daar bij de bushalte staat**, **is** mijn buurman. | The man who is standing at the bus stop over there is my neighbour. |
| De trein **die om acht uur vertrekt**, **heeft** twintig minuten vertraging. | The train that leaves at eight is twenty minutes late. |
| Het pakket **dat ik vorige week heb besteld**, **is** nog steeds niet bezorgd. | The parcel I ordered last week still hasn't been delivered. |
| Het meisje **dat naast ons woont**, **is** morgen jarig. | The girl who lives next door has her birthday tomorrow. |
| Fatima heeft de formulieren **die de gemeente stuurde** meteen ingevuld. | Fatima immediately filled in the forms that the council sent. |
| Daan zoekt een kamer **die dicht bij het station ligt**. | Daan is looking for a room close to the station. |
| Lotte, **die bij de gemeente werkt**, **helpt** ons met de aanvraag. | Lotte, who works for the council, is helping us with the application. |
| Priya heeft een fiets gekocht **die bijna nieuw is**. | Priya has bought a bike that is almost new. |

## Why it works this way

Think of the noun and its relative clause as one package. A Dutch statement puts its conjugated verb (the verb that changes with the subject, like _is_ or _heeft_) in second place, right after the first block, however long that block is. That is [verb second](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verb-second). _De man_ is one block. _De man die daar bij de bushalte staat_ is also one block, just a longer one. So the main verb waits until the package is closed.

Inside the package, the relative clause behaves like any subordinate clause (a clause that cannot stand on its own): its verb goes to the end. In speech, a phrase with a preposition, such as _naar Utrecht_, sometimes follows that verb, but putting it before the verb is the safe choice. That final verb works like a closing bracket. When you hear it, the package is done and the next verb belongs to the main sentence. The comma simply marks that spot.

Good news for English speakers: English also puts the main verb after the relative clause ("the man who is standing there is my neighbour"). Only the order inside the clause is different. If you speak German, the word order will feel familiar, so focus on the comma instead: Dutch has no comma before _die_ when the clause tells you which person or thing you mean.

Remember: in _De man die daar staat, is mijn buurman_, look for verb, comma, verb. The first verb closes the relative clause, the second one carries on with the main sentence.

## Watch out

- Not: _De buurman die heeft een grote hond, woont op nummer 12._ Say: _De buurman die een grote hond heeft, woont op nummer 12._ (inside the relative clause, the verb goes to the end, after its object)
- Not: _De vrouw die naast ons woont, verpleegkundige is._ Say: _De vrouw die naast ons woont, is verpleegkundige._ (only the relative clause sends its verb to the end; the main verb comes right after it)
- Not: _Het boek ik nu lees, is spannend._ Say: _Het boek dat ik nu lees, is spannend._ (English can drop "that", Dutch cannot drop _die_ or _dat_)
- Not: _De huisarts die ik haar gisteren sprak, was heel aardig._ Say: _De huisarts die ik gisteren sprak, was heel aardig._ (_die_ already stands for the doctor, so no extra _haar_; a typical slip for Arabic speakers)

## Quick check

1. Put the words in order: _De vrouw ..., is onze nieuwe huisarts._ (draagt, die, een rode jas)
2. Choose: _Het formulier dat ik moet invullen, ... ._ (is erg lang / erg lang is)
3. Fill in _die_ or _dat_: _Het pakket ... Bas vorige week heeft besteld, ligt bij de buren._
4. Add the commas. You have only one sister: _Mijn zus die in Groningen woont komt zaterdag langs._

## Answers

1. _De vrouw die een rode jas draagt, is onze nieuwe huisarts._ The verb _draagt_ closes the relative clause.
2. _is erg lang_: the main verb comes straight after the relative clause.
3. _dat_: it is _het pakket_, a het-word.
4. _Mijn zus, die in Groningen woont, komt zaterdag langs._ With only one sister, the clause adds extra information, so it goes between commas.

## Use it today

On your next train or bus ride, describe three people around you in your head, with the relative clause in the middle: _De vrouw die naast mij zit, leest een boek._ Then say one of them quietly out loud and listen for the two verbs meeting.

## Questions learners ask

**Where does the verb go in a Dutch relative clause?**

The verb of a relative clause goes to the end of that clause, as in de man die daar staat or het pakket dat ik heb besteld. If a noun and its relative clause start the sentence, the main verb comes straight after the clause.

**Do you need a comma after a relative clause in Dutch?**

When the clause tells you which person or thing you mean, the comma is optional, but writers often put one where the two verbs meet: De man die daar staat, is mijn buurman. When the clause only adds extra information, for example after a name, it is set off with commas.

**Why are there two verbs next to each other in a Dutch sentence?**

Often because a relative clause or another subordinate clause ends with its verb, and the main verb follows right after it. A noun and its relative clause at the start of the sentence count as one block in first place, so the main verb comes second.

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