The pattern
The question word, or a phrase with it like welke bus, comes first, and the verb comes second. The subject follows the verb, unless the question word or phrase is itself the subject.
- wie (who): Wie is dat?
- wat (what): Wat drink je?
- waar (where): Waar is het station?
- wanneer (when): Wanneer kom je?
- hoe (how): Hoe gaat het?
- waarom (why): Waarom lach je?
- hoeveel (how much, how many): Hoeveel kost het?
- welke (which) with de words and all plurals, welk with singular het words: welke trein, welk huis (more in Welk or welke)
When the question word or phrase is the subject, there is no separate subject after the verb: Wie heeft een pen?, Welke bus gaat naar het centrum?
When je or jij is the subject and comes after a present-tense verb, leave off the -t ending: Waar woon jij? When je means your, the -t stays: Waar woont je broer? See Werk jij? Where the t disappears.
Examples
| Wie heeft een pen? | Who has a pen? |
| Wat eet je vanavond, Priya? | What are you eating tonight, Priya? |
| Waar woont Mei? | Where does Mei live? |
| Wanneer is je verjaardag, Daan? | When is your birthday, Daan? |
| Hoe gaat het met Lotte? | How is Lotte doing? |
| Waarom ben je zo laat, Ahmed? | Why are you so late, Ahmed? |
| Hoeveel kost een kilo appels? | How much does a kilo of apples cost? |
| Hoeveel kinderen heeft Fatima? | How many children does Fatima have? |
| Welke bus gaat naar het centrum? | Which bus goes to the centre? |
| Welk boek lees je? | Which book are you reading? |
Why it works this way
Dutch main sentences have one firm habit: the verb sits in second place (see verb second). In a question, the question word or phrase takes first place, so the verb follows at once and the subject, if there is a separate one, waits behind it.
English does this too, but only with small verbs like is and can: "Where is Sanne?", "What can you do?" With most other verbs, English adds "do". Dutch does not. The real verb simply moves forward: Waar werkt Sanne? is literally "Where works Sanne?"
The good news: wie, wat and waar look a lot like who, what and where. A word worth learning well is hoe (how), because it comes back in hoeveel (how much) and hoe laat (what time).
Remember: picture two front seats. The question word or phrase takes seat one, the verb takes seat two, and everyone else sits behind them.
Watch out
FoutWaar jij woont?
GoedWaar woon jij?
the verb comes straight after the question word
FoutWat drinkt jij?
GoedWat drink jij?
no -t ending when the subject jij follows the verb
FoutWat tijd is het?
GoedHoe laat is het?
for clock time, Dutch asks "how late"
FoutWie heet je?
GoedHoe heet je?
wie means who; the German "wie" is Dutch hoe
FoutWelke boek lees je?
GoedWelk boek lees je?
boek is a singular het word
Quick check
- Fill in the gap: ... broers heeft Yara? The reply is: Twee.
- Choose welk or welke: ... fiets is van Emma? (It is de fiets.)
- Fix the sentence: Waar Sanne werkt?
- Fill in the gap: ... ben je zo blij, Joris? The reply is: Omdat het vrijdag is!
Toon de antwoorden
- Hoeveel (the reply is a number)
- Welke (fiets is a de word)
- Waar werkt Sanne? (the verb comes straight after the question word)
- Waarom (the reply gives a reason with omdat, because)
Use it today
At the supermarket or the station today, ask one real question with a question word, such as Waar is de melk? or Hoe laat vertrekt de trein? Check that your verb comes right after the question word.