Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes
Learn how to use Dutch relative pronouns like die, dat, wat, and wie to connect sentences and describe people, animals, or things. This lesson focuses on matching pronouns with de- and het-words in singular and plural, e.g., die persoon, dat dieet, wie veel sport.
- A relative pronoun connects a sentence or clause with a preceding word or phrase.
- You use them to say something about people, animals or things.
- Use the correct relative pronoun by checking whether it concerns a de-woord or a het-woord, and whether it is singular or plural.
| de-woord | het-woord | |
|---|---|---|
| Enkelvoud (Singular) | die De persoon die je daar ziet, is vegetarisch. (The person who you see there is vegetarian.) | dat Het dieet dat ik volg, is evenwichtig. (The diet that I follow is balanced.) |
| Meervoud (Plural) | die De snacks die ik kocht, zijn gezond. (The snacks that I bought are healthy.) | die De ingrediënten die je toevoegt, zijn verkeerd. (The ingredients that you add are wrong.) |
Exceptions!
- Wie and wat are relative pronouns that are used independently. For example: Wie veel sport, is gezond.
- Use wat after indefinite words such as alles or iets.
Exercise 1: Betrekkelijke voornaamwoorden (die, dat, wat, wie)
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Wie, wat, die, dat
1.
De vegetarische soep ... ik kookte was erg lekker.
(The vegetarian soup that I cooked was very tasty.)
2.
Het tussendoortje ... ik at was een banaan.
(The snack I ate was a banana.)
3.
Hij eet alles ... hij lekker vindt.
(He eats everything that he likes.)
4.
Ze is een persoon ... gezond eten belangrijk vindt.
(She is a person who values healthy eating.)
5.
Iets ... gezond is, is meestal ook lekker.
(Something that is healthy is usually also tasty.)
6.
De mensen ... sporten, voelen zich fitter.
(The people who exercise feel fitter.)
7.
... gezond leeft, voelt zich vaak beter.
(Those who live healthily often feel better.)
8.
Het frisdrankje ... zij bestelt, is ongezond.
(The soft drink that she orders is unhealthy.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence with the correct relative pronoun to connect the sentences properly.
1.
'Wat' is not used after a common gender noun like 'persoon'.
'Dat' is wrong because 'persoon' is a common gender word in singular; it must be 'die'.
2.
'Die' is wrong because 'die' is used for common gender words; here it must be 'dat'.
'Wat' is not correct here because 'dieet' is a definite neuter word, not an indefinite word.
3.
'Wat' is not used after a plural common gender noun.
'Dat' is not used for plural; it must be 'die'.
4.
'Die' cannot be used independently without a preceding word.
'Dat' is not correct as an independent relative pronoun without an antecedent.
