---
title: "Wie, wat and waar- in relative clauses"
level: B2
chapter: "Pronouns"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/relative-wie-wat-waar
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Wie, wat and waar- in relative clauses

In a relative clause (a mini-sentence that describes a noun), Dutch drops _die_ and _dat_ after a preposition such as _met_ or _op_. People get _wie_ (_de collega met wie ik werk_) and things get _waar_ plus the preposition (_de pen waarmee ik schrijf_). Use _wat_ after _alles_, _iets_, _niets_ and _het enige_, after a superlative (the "most" or "best" form) with no noun after it, and to refer back to a whole sentence.

The default words _die_ and _dat_ are covered in [Relative pronouns: die and dat](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/relative-die-dat). This lesson is about the moments when they step aside.

## The pattern

> After a preposition, use _wie_ for people and _waar_ plus the preposition for things. Use _wat_ after _alles_, _iets_, _niets_, _veel_, _weinig_ and _het enige_, after a superlative with no noun, and for a whole sentence.

- People: _de buurvrouw van wie ik een sleutel heb_
- Things: _de app waarmee ik betaal_ (_met_ becomes _mee_, _tot_ becomes _toe_)
- After _alles_, _iets_, _niets_, _veel_, _weinig_ and _het enige_: _alles wat ik weet_
- Words for people keep _die_: _iemand die ik ken_, _iedereen die meedoet_
- After a superlative with no noun: _het mooiste wat ik ken_, but _het mooiste dorp dat ik ken_
- A whole sentence, after a comma: _Hij kwam te laat, wat ik vervelend vond._

## Examples

| De collega **met wie** ik aan dit project werk, gaat volgende week met verlof. | The colleague I'm working on this project with is going on leave next week. |
| Is dat de buurman **van wie** je de ladder hebt geleend? | Is that the neighbour you borrowed the ladder from? |
| Dit is de fiets **waarmee** ik elke dag naar mijn werk ga. | This is the bike I ride to work every day. |
| De brief **waarop** ik wacht, komt van de gemeente. | The letter I'm waiting for is coming from the council. |
| **Alles wat** je in de vergadering zegt, komt in het verslag. | Everything you say in the meeting goes into the minutes. |
| Het internet is **het enige wat** ik na de verhuizing nog moet regelen. | The internet is the only thing I still have to sort out after the move. |
| Die fietstocht langs de kust was **het mooiste wat** we deze zomer hebben gedaan. | That bike ride along the coast was the loveliest thing we did this summer. |
| Er was een storing bij Utrecht, **wat** betekende dat Priya een uur te laat was. | There was a fault near Utrecht, which meant that Priya was an hour late. |
| Joris heeft na het feest alles afgewassen, **wat** ik heel attent vond. | Joris did all the washing-up after the party, which I thought was very thoughtful. |

## Why it works this way

_Die_ and _dat_ are pointers: they aim at one specific noun and copy its gender, as in _de fiets die_ and _het huis dat_. Two situations call for a different word.

The first is a preposition. Standard Dutch does not put _die_ or _dat_ straight after a preposition in a relative clause, so it borrows its question words instead. People get _wie_, much like English "with whom". Things get a _waar-_ compound, built the same way as _daarmee_ and _ermee_ (see er plus a preposition).

Remember: ask the question first. _Met wie werk je?_ gives _de collega met wie ik werk_, and _Waarmee betaal je?_ gives _de app waarmee ik betaal_.

The second is a vague word for a thing, or a whole sentence. _Alles_, _iets_, _niets_ and _het mooiste_ have no _de_ or _het_ noun behind them, and neither does a sentence, so Dutch uses _wat_, the question word for things. This applies to things only: words for people, such as _iemand_, _niemand_, _iedereen_ and _degene_, take _die_. Compare:

- _de buurvrouw die ik help_ and _de buurvrouw met wie ik praat_
- _de pen die ik zoek_ and _de pen waarmee ik schrijf_
- _iets wat ik zoek_ and _iemand die ik zoek_
- _het mooiste dorp dat ik ken_ and _het mooiste wat ik ken_
- _Hij kwam te laat. Dat vond ik vervelend._ and _Hij kwam te laat, wat ik vervelend vond._

Spoken Dutch is looser. Many people say _de collega waar ik mee werk_, splitting the _waar-_ word and using it for a person. That is normal in conversation; in a formal email, _met wie_ is the safer choice. After _iets_, _het enige_ and superlatives you will also see _dat_. That is accepted, but _wat_ is more common and never wrong. After _alles_, stick to _wat_. The [next lesson](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/waar-plus-preposition) covers all the _waar-_ words.

If you think in English, the trap is "which": English uses it for a thing and for a whole sentence, while Dutch splits the job between _die_ or _dat_ and _wat_. German speakers often say _met die_, copying "mit dem".

## Watch out

- Not: _de collega met die ik werk_ Say: _de collega met wie ik werk_ (after a preposition, a person gets _wie_)
- Not: _de vrouw wie ik gisteren sprak_ Say: _de vrouw die ik gisteren sprak_ (no preposition, so _die_; _wie_ is not English "whom")
- Not: _de pen met wat ik schrijf_ Say: _de pen waarmee ik schrijf_ (a thing after a preposition becomes _waar_ plus the preposition)
- Not: _het boek wat ik lees_ Say: _het boek dat ik lees_ (after a real noun, use _die_ or _dat_; this _wat_ is common in speech but counts as an error in writing)
- Not: _Hij kwam te laat, die ik vervelend vond._ Say: _Hij kwam te laat, wat ik vervelend vond._ (a whole sentence is picked up with _wat_)

## Quick check

1. Fill in one word: _Is dat de huisarts bij ... je sinds kort ingeschreven staat?_
2. Fill in one word (the verb is _denken aan_): _Het cadeau ... ik dacht, was al uitverkocht._
3. Choose _die_, _dat_ or _wat_: _Daan heeft zijn rijexamen in één keer gehaald, ... niemand had verwacht._
4. Fix the sentence: _Dat is de beste pizza wat ik ooit heb gegeten._

## Answers

1. _wie_ (a person after the preposition _bij_)
2. _waaraan_ (a thing after a preposition: _waar_ plus _aan_)
3. _wat_ (it refers back to the whole sentence, not to one noun)
4. _Dat is de beste pizza die ik ooit heb gegeten._ (there is a real noun, _de pizza_, so _die_)

## Use it today

Tonight, send a friend or colleague three sentences about your week: one with _met wie_ or _van wie_, one with a _waar-_ word such as _waarmee_ or _waarop_, and one that comments on something with _wat ik ... vond_.

## Questions learners ask

**When do you use wie instead of die in a Dutch relative clause?**

Use wie only after a preposition and only for people, as in de collega met wie ik werk. Without a preposition, people get die: de collega die ik bel.

**Is it waarmee or met wat in Dutch?**

For things after a preposition, Dutch uses waar plus the preposition, so de pen waarmee ik schrijf. Met wat is not correct here, and met changes to mee in waarmee.

**Do you say alles wat or alles dat in Dutch?**

Standard Dutch says alles wat, as in alles wat ik weet, and wat is also the usual choice after iets, niets, het enige and a superlative without a noun. Words for people such as iemand and iedereen take die instead: iemand die ik ken.

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