---
title: "Reporting what someone said"
level: B2
chapter: "Word order"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/reported-speech
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Reporting what someone said

To report a statement in Dutch, link it with _dat_ and move the verb to the end: _Hij zei dat hij moe was._ To report a question, use _of_ for a yes or no question and keep the question word for the others: _Ze vroeg of ik kwam_ and _Ze vroeg waar ik woonde_. Then retell it from where you stand now: pronouns (words like _ik_ and _hij_), time words and often the tense change with you.

## The pattern

> A reported statement starts with _dat_, a reported question with _of_ or a question word. After that word, the subject and verb are not swapped and the verbs go to the end, as in any subordinate clause (a sentence inside a sentence).

- Statements: _zeggen_, _vertellen_, _schrijven_ or _laten weten_ plus _dat_: _Sanne zei dat de trein vertraging had._
- Yes or no questions: _vragen_ or _willen weten_ plus _of_: _Hij vroeg of ik koffie wilde._
- Other questions: keep _wie_, _wat_, _waar_, _wanneer_, _hoe_ or _waarom_: _Ze vroeg waarom ik te laat was._
- English often drops that. Dutch keeps _dat_.
- Pronouns and time words shift to your point of view: _ik_ becomes _hij_ or _zij_, _morgen_ may become _de volgende dag_.
- The tense often moves one step back: _ben_ becomes _was_, _heb gedaan_ becomes _had gedaan_, _zal_ becomes _zou_.

## Examples

| Daan zei **dat hij moe was**. | Daan said he was tired. |
| Fatima schreef **dat ze vrijdag vrij is**. | Fatima wrote that she is off on Friday. |
| Mijn buurvrouw vroeg **of ik haar pakketje wilde aannemen**. | My neighbour asked if I would take in her parcel. |
| De conducteur vroeg **waar ik was ingestapt**. | The conductor asked where I had got on. |
| De huisarts vroeg **hoe lang ik al last had van mijn knie**. | The GP asked how long I had been having trouble with my knee. |
| Ahmed zei dat hij **de volgende dag zou bellen**. | Ahmed said he would call the next day. |
| Lotte vertelde **dat ze haar rijbewijs had gehaald**. | Lotte told us she had passed her driving test. |
| De gemeente liet weten **dat de aanvraag nog in behandeling is**. | The municipality let us know that the application is still being processed. |
| Bas vroeg **wie er zaterdag voor de taart zorgt**. | Bas asked who is taking care of the cake on Saturday. |

## Why it works this way

Think of yourself as a reporter. The other person's words become a piece of information inside your own sentence, and once they are inside, they follow the rules of any [subordinate clause](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/subordinate-clauses). A reported question is no longer a real question, so it loses its question order, just like in [indirect questions](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/indirect-questions) such as _Weet jij of de winkel open is?_

Everything that points at a person, a place or a moment is recalculated from your chair:

- _"Ik ben ziek," zei Fatima._ becomes _Fatima zei dat ze ziek was._
- _"Woon je hier al lang?" vroeg Carlos._ becomes, told later at work, _Carlos vroeg of ik daar al lang woonde._
- _"Wat heb je gisteren gedaan?" vroeg Emma._ becomes _Emma vroeg wat ik de dag ervoor had gedaan._

The usual time swaps are _vandaag_ to _die dag_, _morgen_ to _de volgende dag_, _gisteren_ to _de dag ervoor_ and _nu_ to _toen_. Change a time word whenever it would now point to a different moment than the speaker meant. If Joris asked you this morning, _Joris vroeg of ik morgen kom_ is exactly right, because his _morgen_ is still your _morgen_. If he asked yesterday, his _morgen_ is today: _Joris vroeg gisteren of ik vandaag kom._

The tense follows the same logic, loosely. One step back is the normal choice when you retell a past situation. When something is still true or still ahead, speakers often keep the present: _Mei zei dat ze in Utrecht woont_ tells you she lives there now. _Mei zei dat ze in Utrecht woonde_ is also correct, but leaves open whether she still does. For _zal_ becoming _zou_, see [zou and zouden](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/zou-would).

English if and Spanish si cover both conditions and reported questions. Dutch splits that job: _als_ for conditions, _of_ for reported questions.

Remember: report from your own chair. Ask who _ik_ is now, where _hier_ is now and which day _morgen_ is now, then park the verbs at the end of the clause that _dat_, _of_ or the question word opens.

## Watch out

- Not: _Daan zei dat hij was moe._ Say: _Daan zei dat hij moe was._ (after _dat_, the verb goes to the end)
- Not: _Mei vroeg als ik meeging._ Say: _Mei vroeg of ik meeging._ (a reported yes or no question uses _of_; _als_ is the if of conditions)
- Not: _De conducteur vroeg waar ging ik naartoe._ Say: _De conducteur vroeg waar ik naartoe ging._ (no question order inside a reported question)
- Not: _Lotte zei dat ze komt vanavond langs._ Say: _Lotte zei dat ze vanavond langskomt._ (a separable verb like _langskomen_ joins up again at the end)

## Quick check

1. Sanne asked you: _"Heb je zaterdag tijd?"_ Fill in _of_, _als_ or _dat_: _Sanne vroeg ... ik zaterdag tijd had._
2. Fix the word order: _Ahmed vroeg hoe laat begon de vergadering._
3. Bas told you: _"Ik ben mijn sleutels kwijt."_ Choose _mijn_, _zijn_ or _jouw_: _Bas zei dat hij ... sleutels kwijt was._
4. On Monday, Priya said: _"Ik werk morgen thuis."_ It is now Thursday. Choose _morgen_, _de volgende dag_ or _vandaag_: _Priya zei dat ze ... thuis werkte._

## Answers

1. _of_ (a yes or no question is reported with _of_)
2. _Ahmed vroeg hoe laat de vergadering begon._ (no question order: subject first, verb at the end)
3. _zijn_ (the keys are Bas's, so his _mijn_ becomes _zijn_)
4. _de volgende dag_ (Priya's _morgen_ was Tuesday; said on Thursday, _morgen_ would mean Friday)

## Use it today

This evening, retell one conversation from your day in Dutch, in a message or out loud: one thing someone said with _dat_ and one thing someone asked with _of_ or a question word. For example: _Mijn collega vroeg of ik morgen op kantoor ben._

## Questions learners ask

**How do you report what someone said in Dutch?**

Use dat after the reporting verb and put the verb at the end of the clause: Hij zei dat hij moe was. Pronouns and time words change to your point of view, and the tense often moves one step into the past.

**Is "if" in a reported question als or of in Dutch?**

Use of: Ze vroeg of ik kwam means "She asked if I was coming." Als is the if of conditions, as in Als het regent, blijf ik thuis.

**Do you have to change the tense in Dutch reported speech?**

Not always. Moving one step into the past is common (ben becomes was, heb gedaan becomes had gedaan), but when something is still true or still ahead, you can keep the present: Ze zei dat ze in Utrecht woont.

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