In Dutch, we have three interrogative pronouns. Or actually, four, if you count 'wat' and 'wat voor' as two different pronouns.
Dutch | English | Example
wie | who | Wie is dat?
whom | Tegen wie praat je?
_Whom are you talking to?_ |
welk(e) | which, what | Welke dag is het vandaag?
which one(s) | Welke heb je liever?
_Which one do you prefer?_ |
wat | what | Wat maakt het uit?
wat voor | what kind of | Wat voor weer wordt het?
Wie [who, whom]
The Dutch use 'who' in the same way as the English. There is one difference: The Dutch do not have a separate word for 'whom'.
Wie is jouw mentor? | Who is your mentor?
Met wie zat je al die tijd aan de telefoon? | Whom were you on the phone with all the time?
Op wie heb jij gestemd? | Whom did you vote for?
Dependent _welk_ and _welke_ [what, which]
_Welk(e)_ is dependent if it is placed before a noun. Whether we use _welk_ or _welke_ depends on the noun it precedes ( [de or het](#/lesson/NounsAndArticles.03)): _Welk_ for singular het-nouns and _welke_ for de-nouns and plural nouns (which are always de-nouns).
[ de stof]
Voor welke stof ben je allergisch? | [the substance]
Which substance are you allergic to?
[ het boek]
Welk boek heb je hem gegeven? | [the book]
Which book did you give him?
[ de boeken]
Welke boeken heb je hem gegeven? | [the books]
Which books did you give him?
Independent _welke_ [which one(s)]
When used independently (not preceding a noun), we always use _welke_ (with a final -e), regardless of whether it refers to a de-noun or a het-noun, or singular or a plural noun.
[ de stof]
Voor welke ben je allergisch? | [the substance]
Which one are you allergic to?
[ het boek]
Welke heb je hem gegeven? | [the book]
Which one did you give to him?
[ de boeken]
Welke heb je hem gegeven? | [the books]
Which ones did you give to thim?
_Wat_ [what]
_Wat_ is always used independently: It never precedes a noun. If you want to ask me "Which colour do you like best?", you have to use _welke_ (see above) because 'which' precedes the word 'colour'.
Wat heb je gegeten? | What have you eaten?
Wat is het grootste land ter wereld? | What is the largest country in the world?
Wat turning into waar
If 'wat' is preceded by a preposition, we use a [pronominal adverb](#/lesson/Pronouns.Ad01):
preposition + wat | | waar +preposition
In Dutch, we do not say 'by what' or 'to what' but 'whereby' and 'whereto'.
Waar herken je dat aan? | By what do you recognize that?
Waar leidt dit toe? | What does this lead to?
Wat voor [what kind of]
_Wat voor_ is an unusual construction. Some pronouns are preceded by a preposition but there are none that are followed by it. With the exception of _wat_.
Wat voor mensen werken daar? | What kind of people work there?
In wat voor huis woon je? | In what kind of house do you live?
As you can see in the last sentence, _wat voor_ can be preceded by a preposition without turning into a pronominal adverb (recall that _wat_ without _voor_ would have turned into a pronominal adverb).