The pattern
Use die after de-words and plurals, and dat after singular het-words. The conjugated verb goes to the end of the relative clause.
- A relative pronoun is a linking word like English who, which or that. It works the same for people and things. The extra information it introduces is the relative clause.
- De-word: de man die daar staat
- Singular het-word: het huis dat ik koop
- Plural: always die, even for het-words: de huizen die ik bekijk
- Diminutives are het-words, so they take dat: het kopje dat op tafel staat
- The conjugated verb (the one that matches the subject) moves to the end. Any other verbs join it there.
- In writing, a comma often closes the relative clause when the main verb follows right after it.
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. |
| Het meisje dat achter de kassa zit, is de dochter van Fatima. | The girl who is sitting at the till is Fatima's daughter. |
| De fiets die Daan wil kopen, is tweedehands. | The bike Daan wants to buy is second-hand. |
| Het huis dat ik koop, ligt vlak bij het station. | The house I'm buying is very close to the station. |
| De huizen die we bekeken, waren allemaal te klein. | The houses we looked at were all too small. |
| Het boek dat Priya me gaf, is echt spannend. | The book Priya gave me is really gripping. |
| Mei heeft een collega die drie talen spreekt. | Mei has a colleague who speaks three languages. |
| De trein die om acht uur vertrekt, is weer vertraagd. | The train that leaves at eight is delayed again. |
| Is dit het formulier dat ik bij de gemeente moet inleveren? | Is this the form I have to hand in at the town hall? |
Why it works this way
Die and dat are old friends: they are the same words you use to point at things, as in die fiets and dat huis. In a relative clause they point back at the noun you just mentioned, so they follow its article. Compare de fiets die ik koop, het huis dat ik koop and de huizen die ik koop. Every plural takes de, so every plural takes die. If you are unsure about a noun, see De or het.
Remember: de ends in e, and so does die. Het ends in t, and so does dat.
The verb goes to the end because a relative clause is a subordinate clause: a part of the sentence that cannot stand alone. Dutch sends the conjugated verb to the end of every subordinate clause, just as after omdat (see Subordinate clauses).
English happily says "the book I read", but Dutch has no such shortcut. A useful way to see it: die or dat is the flag that says "extra information coming, verb at the end". Without the flag, the listener loses the thread.
In relaxed speech you will hear het meisje die or het bedrijf die. It is common, but in writing and in exams it counts as a mistake, so stick to dat. After a preposition, as in "the man I spoke to", Dutch uses other words: that is the topic of the next lesson.
Watch out
错误De jas ik gisteren kocht, is te klein.
正确De jas die ik gisteren kocht, is te klein.
Dutch never drops die or dat
错误de man die staat daar
正确de man die daar staat
the verb goes to the end
错误het huis die ik koop
正确het huis dat ik koop
huis is a het-word
错误de buurvrouw wie ik ken
正确de buurvrouw die ik ken
without a preposition, who is die
错误de collega die ik hem gisteren belde
正确de collega die ik gisteren belde
die already stands for the person, so no extra hem
Quick check
- Fill in die or dat: Waar is het pakketje ... gisteren is bezorgd?
- Choose: De treinen (die / dat) naar Amsterdam rijden, zijn vandaag vol.
- Fix the sentence: De film ik gisteren zag, was saai.
- Fix the sentence: Lotte heeft een baan die is heel leuk.
显示答案
- dat: pakketje is a diminutive, and diminutives are always het-words.
- die: treinen is plural, and plurals always take die.
- De film die ik gisteren zag, was saai. Dutch cannot leave out die.
- Lotte heeft een baan die heel leuk is. The verb goes to the end of the relative clause.
Use it today
Think of three people you see this week, like a neighbour, a colleague or your GP, and describe each one in a sentence with die: Bas is de buurman die altijd zijn fiets voor mijn deur zet. Then pick one het-word around you, such as het café or het station, and write one sentence with dat.