Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn to use Dutch vragende voornaamwoorden like wie (who) for persons, wat (what) for things or actions, and welk(e) (which) to make choices between items, mastering practical questions such as "Wie gaat naar het postkantoor?" and "Welk e-mailadres heb je gebruikt?".
  1. Which do you use for choices between two or more things.
  2. 'Wat' is used for animals, things or actions.
  3. 'Wie' is used for one or more persons.
 Voornaamwoord (Pronoun)Voorbeeld (Example)
Bijvoeglijk en zelfstandig gebruik (Attributive and predicative use)welk(e)Welk e-mailadres heb je gebruikt? (Which email address did you use?)
wat voor (een)Wat voor pakket is dit? (What kind of parcel is this?)
Zelfstandig gebruik (Independent use)wieWie gaat naar het postkantoor? (Who is going to the post office?)
watWat staat er in de brief? (What is written in the letter?)

 

Exceptions!

  1. Which do you use for het-woorden.
  2. Which do you use for de-words.

Exercise 1: Vragende voornaamwoorden (wie, wat, welk(e))

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

wat, Wie, Wat, Welk, Welke

1.
... is er precies verstuurd in dat bericht?
(What exactly was sent in that message?)
2.
Ik weet niet ... ik moet antwoorden op die e-mail.
(I don't know what to answer to that email.)
3.
... postzegel hoort bij deze brief?
(Which stamp belongs to this letter?)
4.
... pakket moet ik naar het postkantoor brengen?
(Which package do I need to take to the post office?)
5.
... is de ontvanger van dit pakket?
(Who is the recipient of this package?)
6.
... staat er in die brief van de verzender?
(What is in that letter from the sender?)
7.
... heeft deze e-mail gisteren ontvangen?
(Who received this email yesterday?)
8.
... brief moet ik eerst beantwoorden?
(Which letter should I answer first?)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in which the interrogative pronoun is used correctly. Pay attention to whether it concerns people, things, or choices and follow the rules for 'wie' (who), 'wat' (what), and 'welk(e)' (which).

1.
'Welk' is incorrect because this is for choices between things, not for people.
'Wat' is incorrect because we ask about a person, not about a thing or action.
2.
'Wat' is incorrect because it concerns a choice between items, not an indefinite thing or action.
'Wie' is incorrect because we do not refer to a person.
3.
'Wie' is incorrect because we are not asking about people.
'Welk' is incorrect because there is no choice between multiple things in this context.
4.
'Welk' is incorrect because 'afdeling' is a de-word, so you use 'welke'.
'Wat' is incorrect because here we ask about a specific choice (department), not about a thing or an action.

Understanding Dutch Interrogative Pronouns: wie, wat, welk(e)

This lesson explains the use of Dutch interrogative pronouns that help you ask questions about people, things, and choices. These pronouns are essential for forming clear questions in everyday conversations and written Dutch.

Key Interrogative Pronouns

  • wie – used to ask about one or more people.
  • wat – used to ask about animals, things, or actions.
  • welk(e) – used to ask about choices between two or more items; the form depends on the noun’s gender and number.

Using 'welk' and 'welke'

In Dutch, nouns are classified as either het-words (neuter gender) or de-words (common gender). When asking about choices involving these nouns, you use:

  • welk for singular het-words (e.g., Welk e-mailadres heb je gebruikt?)
  • welke for singular and plural de-words (e.g., Welke afdeling is verantwoordelijk?)

Examples of Use

  • Wie gaat naar het postkantoor? (Who is going to the post office?)
  • Wat staat er in de brief? (What is written in the letter?)
  • Welk e-mailadres heb je gebruikt? (Which email address did you use?)
  • Wat voor pakket is dit? (What kind of package is this?)

Important Highlights

  • wie is strictly for persons, never for things or choices.
  • wat covers animals, things, and actions but not choices.
  • welk(e) is specifically for making a choice between items.

Notes on Language Differences and Useful Phrases

English uses "who" for people and "what" for things, similar to Dutch 'wie' and 'wat'. However, Dutch additionally distinguishes 'welk(e)' for asking about choices, which English often covers with "which". The distinction between het and de words affects which form of 'welk' to use in Dutch, a feature that English does not have due to the lack of grammatical gender.

Useful phrases:

  • Wie ben je? — Who are you?
  • Wat is dat? — What is that?
  • Welk boek wil je lezen? — Which book do you want to read? (Here 'boek' is a het-word)
  • Welke kleur vind je mooi? — Which color do you like? ('kleur' is a de-word)

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Friday, 18/07/2025 10:42