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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᴰᵘᵗᶜʰ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁴¹ ◊ʷⁱᵉ
Welcome to Lesson 41 of the Dutch course from the Latinum Institute. This lesson focuses on the English pronoun “who” and the two Dutch words that carry its work, wie and die.
What does “who” mean in Dutch?
English uses one word for two quite different jobs. In “Who is that?” it asks a question; in “the man who is standing there” it joins a clause to a noun. Dutch keeps these apart. Wie asks; die joins.
That much is simple. The complication is that the joining word is not always die. Dutch chooses between die and dat according to the gender of the noun it refers back to — die for de-words and all plurals, dat for het-words. Since the gender of a Dutch noun must be learned with the noun itself, the relative pronoun becomes a running test of vocabulary that was learned properly.
A third use completes the picture. Wie also serves as a free relative, meaning “whoever” or “he who,” standing at the head of a clause with no antecedent at all: wie het weet mag het zeggen — whoever knows may say. This construction is the backbone of Dutch proverbs.
Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
Key Takeaways: -
Wie asks questions about persons: Wie is dat? -
Die joins clauses to de-words and plurals; dat to het-words -
Wie is also the free relative “whoever”: wie niet waagt... -
After a preposition, persons take wie: met wie, voor wie, van wie -
Wiens (his) and wier (her, their) are the formal possessives, mostly written -
Met wie spreek ik? is the standard telephone formula
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wie /ʋi/ - The Dutch ‘w’ is not the English ‘w’. It is a labiodental approximant, formed with the lower lip near the upper teeth — closer to a very soft English ‘v’. The vowel is the long close ‘ie’.
die /di/ - Short and unstressed as a relative pronoun; fully stressed /di/ when demonstrative. The stress alone often distinguishes “that one” from “which”.
dat /dɑt/ - Likewise both relative and demonstrative, with the same stress distinction.
wiens /ʋins/ - Formal possessive, one syllable.
wier /ʋir/ - Feminine and plural possessive, now largely literary.
degene /dəˈɣeː.nə/ - The one, that person. Used with die to form degene die, “the one who”.
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41.1 Wie (ʋi) who is (ɪs) is dat (dɑt) that
41.2 Wie (ʋi) who komt (kɔmt) comes er (ər) there vanavond (vɑnˈaː.vɔnt) this-evening
41.3 De (də) the man (mɑn) man die (di) who daar (daːr) there staat (staːt) stands is (ɪs) is mijn (mɛin) my oom (oːm) uncle
41.4 Het (ət) the kind (kɪnt) child dat (dɑt) that huilt (hœylt) cries is (ɪs) is moe (mu) tired
41.5 Met (mɛt) with wie (ʋi) whom spreek (spreːk) speak ik (ɪk) I
41.6 Wie (ʋi) whoever het (ət) it weet (ʋeːt) knows mag (mɑx) may het (ət) it zeggen (ˈzɛ.ɣən) say
41.7 Ik (ɪk) I weet (ʋeːt) know niet (nit) not wie (ʋi) who er (ər) there gebeld (ɣəˈbɛlt) called-PART heeft (heːft) has
41.8 De (də) the vrouw (vrʌu) woman van (vɑn) from wie (ʋi) whom ik (ɪk) I het (ət) the boek (buk) book kreeg (kreːx) got woont (ʋoːnt) lives in (ɪn) in Gent (ɣɛnt) Ghent
41.9 Wie (ʋi) who zal (zɑl) will dat (dɑt) that betalen (bəˈtaː.lən) pay
41.10 De (də) the mensen (ˈmɛn.sən) people die (di) who alles (ˈɑ.ləs) everything weten (ˈʋeː.tən) know zijn (zɛin) are zeldzaam (ˈzɛlt.saːm) rare
41.11 Voor (voːr) for wie (ʋi) whom is (ɪs) is deze (ˈdeː.zə) this brief (brif) letter
41.12 Dat (dɑt) that is (ɪs) is de (də) the jongen (ˈjɔ.ŋən) boy wiens (ʋins) whose vader (ˈvaː.dər) father arts (ɑrts) doctor is (ɪs) is
41.13 Wie (ʋi) whoever niet (nit) not waagt (ʋaːxt) ventures die (di) that-one niet (nit) not wint (ʋɪnt) wins
41.14 Zij (zɛi) she vroeg (vrux) asked wie (ʋi) who er (ər) there zou (zʌu) would komen (ˈkoː.mən) come
41.15 Wie (ʋi) whoever het (ət) the laatst (laːtst) last lacht (lɑxt) laughs lacht (lɑxt) laughs het (ət) the best (bɛst) best
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41.1 Wie is dat? → “Who is that?”
41.2 Wie komt er vanavond? → “Who is coming this evening?”
41.3 De man die daar staat is mijn oom. → “The man who is standing there is my uncle.”
41.4 Het kind dat huilt is moe. → “The child who is crying is tired.”
41.5 Met wie spreek ik? → “Who am I speaking to?”
41.6 Wie het weet mag het zeggen. → “Whoever knows may say so.”
41.7 Ik weet niet wie er gebeld heeft. → “I don't know who called.”
41.8 De vrouw van wie ik het boek kreeg woont in Gent. → “The woman I got the book from lives in Ghent.”
41.9 Wie zal dat betalen? → “Who is going to pay for that?”
41.10 De mensen die alles weten zijn zeldzaam. → “People who know everything are rare.”
41.11 Voor wie is deze brief? → “Who is this letter for?”
41.12 Dat is de jongen wiens vader arts is. → “That is the boy whose father is a doctor.”
41.13 Wie niet waagt, die niet wint. → “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
41.14 Zij vroeg wie er zou komen. → “She asked who would be coming.”
41.15 Wie het laatst lacht, lacht het best. → “He who laughs last laughs best.”
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41.1 Wie is dat?
41.2 Wie komt er vanavond?
41.3 De man die daar staat is mijn oom.
41.4 Het kind dat huilt is moe.
41.5 Met wie spreek ik?
41.6 Wie het weet mag het zeggen.
41.7 Ik weet niet wie er gebeld heeft.
41.8 De vrouw van wie ik het boek kreeg woont in Gent.
41.9 Wie zal dat betalen?
41.10 De mensen die alles weten zijn zeldzaam.
41.11 Voor wie is deze brief?
41.12 Dat is de jongen wiens vader arts is.
41.13 Wie niet waagt, die niet wint.
41.14 Zij vroeg wie er zou komen.
41.15 Wie het laatst lacht, lacht het best.
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Grammar Rules for “who” in Dutch:
1. Wie as Interrogative
Wie asks about persons, in direct and indirect questions alike: -
Wie is dat? (Who is that?) -
Wie komt er vanavond? (Who is coming tonight?) -
Ik weet niet wie er gebeld heeft (I don't know who called)
Note that indirect questions keep wie but change the word order: the finite verb moves to the end of the subordinate clause, as in wie er gebeld heeft rather than wie heeft er gebeld.
Wie asks only about persons. For things, Dutch uses wat: Wat is dat? (What is that?)
2. Die and Dat as Relative Pronouns
When the pronoun joins a clause to a preceding noun, Dutch chooses by the gender of that noun: -
de man die daar staat (de-word → die) -
de vrouwen die daar staan (plural → die) -
het kind dat huilt (het-word → dat) -
het boek dat op tafel ligt (het-word → dat)
Every Dutch noun is a de-word or a het-word, and all plurals are de-words. The relative pronoun therefore forces the learner to know the gender. Het kind dat huilt is a good illustration of why English intuition fails: the child is a person, so English says “who,” but kind is a het-word, so Dutch must say dat.
Unlike English, the relative pronoun can never be omitted. English allows “the book I read”; Dutch requires het boek dat ik las.
3. Wie After Prepositions
When a preposition governs a person, Dutch uses wie: -
Met wie spreek ik? (Who am I speaking to?) -
Voor wie is deze brief? (Who is this letter for?) -
De vrouw van wie ik het boek kreeg (The woman from whom I got the book)
Dutch keeps the preposition in front, where formal English also puts it. There is no Dutch equivalent of stranding it at the end in this construction.
This holds for persons only. For things, the preposition combines with waar-: de stoel waarop ik zit (the chair I am sitting on), het boek waarover we spraken (the book we talked about). Using waarop of a person, or wie of a thing, is a clear error.
4. Wie as Free Relative
Wie can open a clause with no antecedent, meaning “whoever” or “anyone who”: -
Wie het weet mag het zeggen (Whoever knows may say) -
Wie hervormen wil, blijft (He who wishes to reform, stays)
Dutch proverbs are built on this pattern, and it often takes a resumptive die in the main clause: Wie niet waagt, die niet wint — literally “who does not venture, that one does not win.”
5. Wiens and Wier
The possessive relatives are wiens (referring to a masculine or neuter singular) and wier (feminine singular and all plurals): -
de jongen wiens vader arts is (the boy whose father is a doctor) -
de vrouw wier man gestorven is (the woman whose husband has died)
Both belong to careful written Dutch. Ordinary speech prefers van wie — de jongen van wie de vader arts is — or, colloquially and unofficially, de jongen z'n vader.
Common Mistakes to Avoid: -
Using wie as a relative after a noun: ✗ “de man wie daar staat” → ✓ “de man die daar staat.” This is the single commonest error, because English uses “who” in both slots. -
Choosing die for a het-word: ✗ “het kind die huilt” → ✓ “het kind dat huilt” -
Omitting the relative pronoun: ✗ “het boek ik las” → ✓ “het boek dat ik las” -
Using wie for things: ✗ “de stoel op wie ik zit” → ✓ “de stoel waarop ik zit” -
Confusing interrogative and relative word order: Wie heeft gebeld? is a question; ...wie gebeld heeft is a subordinate clause.
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Met Wie Spreek Ik? — The Dutch Telephone:
Dutch telephone convention differs sharply from English practice and is worth learning as a fixed routine. The person answering identifies themselves at once, usually by surname alone: Met Jansen, or U spreekt met Jansen. The caller then does the same. Asking Met wie spreek ik? is entirely neutral and polite; the English habit of saying “who is this?” without first giving one's own name strikes Dutch speakers as abrupt. In business the exchange of names precedes the reason for the call as a matter of course.
Wie in the Proverb Tradition:
The free relative gives Dutch a compact aphoristic form that the language has exploited for centuries. Wie niet waagt, die niet wint; Wie het laatst lacht, lacht het best; Wie kaatst moet de bal verwachten (whoever strikes the ball must expect it back — that is, expect retaliation); Wie zijn billen brandt, moet op de blaren zitten (whoever burns his backside must sit on the blisters). The pattern is instantly recognisable and still productive: modern Dutch coins new sayings on the same frame.
Surnames and Formality:
Because wiens and wier have retreated into writing, spoken Dutch has developed the possessive with z'n and d'r — Jan z'n boek, Marie d'r fiets. Prescriptivists have disapproved of this for two centuries and speakers have gone on using it regardless. Learners should recognise it without necessarily adopting it in writing.
Regional Notes:
In Belgian Dutch, wie occasionally appears where northern Dutch requires die, particularly in speech, and the older written language admitted this more freely. Reading nineteenth-century prose you will meet relative wie of persons more often than modern norms allow.
Common Expressions with Wie: -
“Wie weet?” - Who knows? / Perhaps -
“Wie dan ook” - Whoever it may be, anyone at all -
“Wie is wie” - Who's who -
“Wie A zegt, moet ook B zeggen” - In for a penny, in for a pound -
“Wie zwijgt, stemt toe” - Silence gives consent -
“Kijken wie er is” - To see who's there
Reminder: This lesson is designed for English speakers learning Dutch.
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From Anna Louisa Geertruida Bosboom-Toussaint, Majoor Frans (1874). The most widely read Dutch novel of its decade, and the work of the foremost Dutch woman writer of the nineteenth century. Its heroine, Francis Mordaunt, called Majoor Frans for her refusal of every feminine convention, argues here about whether one reforms an institution from within or by leaving it.
Zulke omstandigheden kunnen er zijn, dat geef ik u toe, maar zonder dien drang was de maatregel op zich zelf verkeerd. Wie hervormen wil, blijft en staat voor zijne zaak; wie heengaat, verlaat haar en geeft haar op.
F-A: Interlinear Analysis
Zulke (ˈzʏl.kə) such omstandigheden (ɔmˈstɑn.dəx.heː.dən) circumstances kunnen (ˈkʏ.nən) can er (ər) there zijn (zɛin) be dat (dɑt) that geef (ɣeːf) give ik (ɪk) I u (y) you toe (tu) concede maar (maːr) but zonder (ˈzɔn.dər) without dien (din) that drang (drɑŋ) pressure was (ʋɑs) was de (də) the maatregel (ˈmaːt.reː.ɣəl) measure op (ɔp) in zich (zɪx) itself zelf (zɛlf) self verkeerd (vərˈkeːrt) wrong Wie (ʋi) whoever hervormen (hɛrˈvɔr.mən) reform wil (ʋɪl) wants blijft (blɛift) stays en (ɛn) and staat (staːt) stands voor (voːr) for zijne (ˈzɛi.nə) his zaak (zaːk) cause wie (ʋi) whoever heengaat (ˈheːn.ɣaːt) goes-away verlaat (vərˈlaːt) abandons haar (haːr) her en (ɛn) and geeft (ɣeːft) gives haar (haːr) her op (ɔp) up
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Zulke omstandigheden kunnen er zijn, dat geef ik u toe, maar zonder dien drang was de maatregel op zich zelf verkeerd. Wie hervormen wil, blijft en staat voor zijne zaak; wie heengaat, verlaat haar en geeft haar op. → “Such circumstances can exist, I grant you that, but without that pressure the measure was wrong in itself. Whoever wishes to reform stays and stands by his cause; whoever departs abandons it and gives it up.”
F-C: Original Dutch Text
Zulke omstandigheden kunnen er zijn, dat geef ik u toe, maar zonder dien drang was de maatregel op zich zelf verkeerd. Wie hervormen wil, blijft en staat voor zijne zaak; wie heengaat, verlaat haar en geeft haar op.
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
The second sentence is built entirely on the free relative of Section D, and uses it twice in balanced opposition: Wie hervormen wil... wie heengaat... Neither wie has an antecedent; each opens its own clause and means “anyone who.” This is the construction that gives Dutch its proverbs, deployed here for rhetorical antithesis.
Note the word order inside the first clause. Wie hervormen wil places the infinitive before the finite verb, because a free relative clause is a subordinate clause and sends its finite verb to the end. Compare the main clause that follows, blijft en staat, where the verbs come second.
The pronoun haar in the final clause refers back to zaak (cause), a de-word of feminine gender. Modern Dutch has largely lost the masculine/feminine distinction among de-words in the north and would more often write het or simply repeat the noun; Bosboom-Toussaint's haar reflects a grammatical gender system still felt in the nineteenth century and still active in Belgian usage.
The opening clause contains er zijn — the existential er of Lesson 38 — with kunnen intervening: omstandigheden kunnen er zijn, “circumstances can exist.”
Two older forms mark the date: dien, the accusative masculine of die, abolished for ordinary writing in 1946, and zijne, the inflected possessive where modern Dutch writes zijn.
F-E: Literary Commentary
Bosboom-Toussaint wrote historical fiction for forty years before turning, in Majoor Frans, to her own century and to the question of what a woman may refuse to be. Francis Mordaunt shoots, rides, swears and declines to marry, and the novel takes her seriously rather than treating her as an aberration to be corrected. The sentence quoted here is characteristic: an argument about principle, conducted in balanced clauses, by a woman whose right to hold principles at all is what the book is really contesting. The doubled wie gives the thought the shape of a maxim, and the reader is invited to notice that she argues better than the men around her.
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Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
41.16 Goedemiddag (ˌɣu.dəˈmɪ.dɑx) good-afternoon met (mɛt) with wie (ʋi) whom spreek (spreːk) speak ik (ɪk) I
41.17 U (y) you spreekt (spreːkt) speak met (mɛt) with Jansen (ˈjɑn.sən) Jansen wie (ʋi) who is (ɪs) is daar (daːr) there
41.18 Dit (dɪt) this is (ɪs) is Bakker (ˈbɑ.kər) Bakker ik (ɪk) I zoek (zuk) seek iemand (ˈi.mɑnt) someone die (di) who Duits (dœyts) German spreekt (spreːkt) speaks
41.19 Wie (ʋi) who heeft (heːft) has u (y) you doorverbonden (ˈdoːr.vər.bɔn.dən) connected-PART
41.20 De (də) the collega (kɔˈleː.ɣaː) colleague die (di) who vanmorgen (vɑnˈmɔr.ɣən) this-morning belde (ˈbɛl.də) called
41.21 Weet (ʋeːt) know u (y) you nog (nɔx) still wie (ʋi) who dat (dɑt) that was (ʋɑs) was
41.22 Nee (neː) no ik (ɪk) I weet (ʋeːt) know niet (nit) not meer (meːr) anymore wie (ʋi) who er (ər) there gebeld (ɣəˈbɛlt) called-PART heeft (heːft) has
41.23 Er (ər) there is (ɪs) is hier (hir) here een (ən) a meneer (məˈneːr) gentleman wiens (ʋins) whose naam (naːm) name ik (ɪk) I niet (nit) not ken (kɛn) know
41.24 Is (ɪs) is dat (dɑt) that de (də) the man (mɑn) man die (di) who uit (œyt) from Berlijn (bɛrˈlɛin) Berlin komt (kɔmt) comes
41.25 Dat (dɑt) that zou (zʌu) would kunnen (ˈkʏ.nən) be-possible wie (ʋi) who zal (zɑl) will het (ət) it zeggen (ˈzɛ.ɣən) say
41.26 Zullen (ˈzʏ.lən) shall we (ʋə) we hem (hɛm) him morgen (ˈmɔr.ɣən) tomorrow terugbellen (təˈrʏx.bɛ.lən) call-back
41.27 Voor (voːr) for wie (ʋi) whom moet (mut) must ik (ɪk) I dan (dɑn) then vragen (ˈvraː.ɣən) ask
41.28 Vraag (vraːx) ask naar (naːr) for de (də) the vrouw (vrʌu) woman die (di) who de (də) the contracten (kɔnˈtrɑk.tən) contracts doet (dut) does
41.29 En (ɛn) and hoe (hu) how heet (heːt) is-called zij (zɛi) she die (di) that vrouw (vrʌu) woman
41.30 Mevrouw (məˈvrʌu) Mrs De (də) De Wit (ʋɪt) Wit zij (zɛi) she is (ɪs) is degene (dəˈɣeː.nə) the-one die (di) who alles (ˈɑ.ləs) everything weet (ʋeːt) knows
Part B: Natural Sentences
41.16 Goedemiddag, met wie spreek ik? → “Good afternoon, who am I speaking to?”
41.17 U spreekt met Jansen. Wie is daar? → “This is Jansen speaking. Who's there?”
41.18 Dit is Bakker. Ik zoek iemand die Duits spreekt. → “This is Bakker. I'm looking for someone who speaks German.”
41.19 Wie heeft u doorverbonden? → “Who put you through?”
41.20 De collega die vanmorgen belde. → “The colleague who called this morning.”
41.21 Weet u nog wie dat was? → “Do you remember who that was?”
41.22 Nee, ik weet niet meer wie er gebeld heeft. → “No, I no longer remember who called.”
41.23 Er is hier een meneer wiens naam ik niet ken. → “There's a gentleman here whose name I don't know.”
41.24 Is dat de man die uit Berlijn komt? → “Is that the man who comes from Berlin?”
41.25 Dat zou kunnen. Wie zal het zeggen? → “That could be. Who's to say?”
41.26 Zullen we hem morgen terugbellen? → “Shall we call him back tomorrow?”
41.27 Voor wie moet ik dan vragen? → “Who should I ask for, then?”
41.28 Vraag naar de vrouw die de contracten doet. → “Ask for the woman who handles the contracts.”
41.29 En hoe heet zij, die vrouw? → “And what's her name, that woman?”
41.30 Mevrouw De Wit. Zij is degene die alles weet. → “Mrs De Wit. She's the one who knows everything.”
Part C: Target Language Only
41.16 Goedemiddag, met wie spreek ik?
41.17 U spreekt met Jansen. Wie is daar?
41.18 Dit is Bakker. Ik zoek iemand die Duits spreekt.
41.19 Wie heeft u doorverbonden?
41.20 De collega die vanmorgen belde.
41.21 Weet u nog wie dat was?
41.22 Nee, ik weet niet meer wie er gebeld heeft.
41.23 Er is hier een meneer wiens naam ik niet ken.
41.24 Is dat de man die uit Berlijn komt?
41.25 Dat zou kunnen. Wie zal het zeggen?
41.26 Zullen we hem morgen terugbellen?
41.27 Voor wie moet ik dan vragen?
41.28 Vraag naar de vrouw die de contracten doet.
41.29 En hoe heet zij, die vrouw?
41.30 Mevrouw De Wit. Zij is degene die alles weet.
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
This dialogue was built to keep wie and die in constant alternation, so the division of labour stays visible:
Interrogative Wie: 41.16, 41.17, 41.19, 41.21, 41.25 and 41.27 all ask. Note 41.16 and 41.27, where a preposition governs the person and therefore takes wie: met wie, voor wie.
Relative Die: 41.18, 41.20, 41.24, 41.28 and 41.30 all join a clause to a preceding de-word — iemand, collega, man, vrouw, degene. Every one of these would be “who” in English, and every one must be die in Dutch.
Indirect Question Word Order: 41.21 and 41.22 embed the question. In 41.22, wie er gebeld heeft puts the finite verb heeft at the very end, whereas the direct question 41.19 has heeft in second position. This inversion is the surest sign of a subordinate clause.
Wiens in the Wild: 41.23 gives the formal possessive in a natural office register, where it is still current. Spoken alternatives would be van wie de naam or, colloquially, z'n naam.
Demonstrative Die: 41.29 uses die as a demonstrative rather than a relative — die vrouw, “that woman.” The word is identical; only position and stress distinguish the two functions.
Degene Die: 41.30 shows the standard formula for “the one who,” which supplies an antecedent where none exists in the sentence.
Recycled Structures: 41.22 and 41.23 carry er from Lesson 38; 41.25 and 41.26 use zou, zal and zullen from Lessons 37 and 40; 41.30 closes on alles from Lesson 39.
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Key Sounds in This Lesson:
The Dutch ‘w’ /ʋ/: In wie, wat, wiens, weet. This is neither the English ‘w’ of “we” nor a full ‘v’. Place the lower lip lightly against the upper teeth and voice without friction. English speakers who substitute /w/ are immediately identifiable.
The long ‘ie’ /i/: In wie and die. Shorter and tenser than the English vowel of “see”, and never diphthongised. Dutch /i/ stays level from beginning to end.
Stress as Grammar: die and dat are unstressed as relatives and stressed as demonstratives. In 41.29, hoe heet zij, die vrouw, the die carries stress; in 41.28, de vrouw die de contracten doet, it does not. Getting this wrong can make a relative clause sound like a pointing gesture.
The ‘ui’ /œy/ in Duits: The same diphthong met in huis and verhuizen. Note that the country is Duitsland and the language Duits, neither related to Dutch despite the English resemblance — Dutch for the Dutch language is Nederlands.
Nineteenth-Century Forms: The Bosboom-Toussaint passage shows dien for die and zijne for zijn. Case endings on articles and possessives survived in formal writing until the reform of 1946 and are met constantly in older texts.
Audio Practice Suggestion: Dutch call-centre recordings and radio phone-in programmes are saturated with the telephone formulas of this lesson. Listen for met wie spreek ik and u spreekt met, and note how quickly both parties give their names.
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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᴰᵘᵗᶜʰ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁴¹ ◊ʷⁱᵉ ◊ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉ
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