In spoken Dutch, people often start a sentence with _die_ or _dat_ where English uses he, she, it or they: _Ken je Tom? Die woont in Utrecht._ Use _die_ for people, de-words and plurals, and _dat_ for het-words and whole ideas. It sounds natural, and it spares you the question whether a thing is _hij_ or _zij_.
The pattern
To refer back to someone or something just mentioned, you can start the next sentence with _die_ or _dat_ instead of a personal pronoun (a word like _hij_, _zij_ or _het_ that stands in for a noun). The verb comes straight after it.
- _die_: a person (_mijn collega_, _de huisarts_), a de-word (a noun with _de_, like _de bus_) or any plural you refer back to (_Mijn buren? Die zijn aardige mensen._)
- _dat_: a het-word (_het huis_, _het rooster_) or a whole idea, event or situation (_Het regent alweer. Dat is jammer._)
- It works for the subject (_Die woont hier._) and for the object (_Die ken ik niet._)
- A different pattern: when you point something out and name it, _dat_ is the usual choice even with a plural noun (_Dat zijn mijn sleutels._), as in [Dit is, dat is, het is](#/lesson/dit-is-dat-is)
- It belongs to speech and chatty messages; in emails and formal texts, _hij_, _zij_, _het_ and _ze_ are more neutral
Examples
| Ken je Joris? Die werkt ook bij de gemeente. | Do you know Joris? He works at the municipality too. |
|---|---|
| Fatima komt vanavond ook. Die neemt altijd zelfgebakken taart mee. | Fatima is coming tonight too. She always brings homemade cake. |
| Waar is de kaasschaaf? Die ligt in de vaatwasser. | Where is the cheese slicer? It's in the dishwasher. |
| Heb je mijn nieuwe fiets gezien? Die heb ik tweedehands gekocht. | Have you seen my new bike? I bought it second hand. |
| Ken je dat nieuwe café bij het station? Dat is pas sinds maandag open. | Do you know that new café near the station? It has only been open since Monday. |
| Mijn buren? Die zijn deze week op vakantie. | My neighbours? They're on holiday this week. |
| De trein had weer vertraging. Dat gebeurt vaak op deze lijn. | The train was delayed again. That happens a lot on this line. |
| Het wordt morgen droog. Dat zei de weerman tenminste. | It will be dry tomorrow. At least, that's what the weatherman said. |
Why it works this way
_Die_ and _dat_ are pointing words (demonstratives), the same ones you know from _die man_ and _dat huis_. Here they point backwards at what was just said and pull it to the front. Dutch likes to open with what the listener already knows and keep the new information for later, so this fits naturally.
They also solve a real problem. For things, the choice between _hij_ and _zij_ depends on old grammatical gender, which many Dutch speakers no longer feel themselves (more in [Hij, het or zij for things](#/lesson/it-for-things)). _Die_ only needs to know _de_ or _het_. So in _De vergadering? Die is verplaatst._ nobody has to decide whether a meeting is a he or a she.
With people, _die_ is completely normal in everyday speech, and many speakers use it even after a het-word for a person: _Dat meisje? Die zit bij mij op voetbal._ It can sound a little cool when the person is standing right next to you, so then use their name or _hij_ or _zij_. That is a tendency, not a rule.
Compare speech and writing:
- To a neighbour: _Mijn zoon heeft koorts. Die ligt de hele dag op de bank._
- In an email to school: _Mijn zoon heeft koorts. Hij kan vandaag niet komen._
One more contrast: these are not the _die_ and _dat_ that join two clauses (_de man die hier woont_). Those send the verb to the end, see [Relative pronouns: die and dat](#/lesson/relative-die-dat). Here, _die_ or _dat_ starts a new sentence, so [the verb comes second](#/lesson/verb-second).
Remember: _die_ and _dat_ are a hook. They catch the last thing someone said and hang it at the front of your next sentence, with the verb right behind.
Watch out
- Not: _Mijn paraplu? Het staat bij de deur._ Say: _Mijn paraplu? Die staat bij de deur._ (_het_ cannot point back to a de-word)
- Not: _Ik heb een nieuw huis. Die is groot._ Say: _Ik heb een nieuw huis. Dat is groot._ (_huis_ is a het-word)
- Not: _Mijn sleutels? Dat liggen op tafel._ Say: _Mijn sleutels? Die liggen op tafel._ (plurals you refer back to take _die_)
- Not: _Die ik ken niet._ Say: _Die ken ik niet._ (the verb comes straight after _die_)
Quick check
- Fill in _die_ or _dat_: _Waar is de afstandsbediening? ... ligt op de bank._
- Fill in _die_ or _dat_: _Ken je Ahmed en Yara? ... wonen naast ons._
- Fill in _die_ or _dat_: _Heb je het nieuwe rooster al gezien? ... hangt bij de koffieautomaat._
- Fix the sentence: _Ik moet morgen om zes uur beginnen. Die is vervelend._
Answers
- _Die_: _afstandsbediening_ is a de-word.
- _Die_: you refer back to two people, so plural.
- _Dat_: _rooster_ is a het-word.
- _Dat is vervelend._: you are reacting to a situation, not to a de-word.
Use it today
Pick three people you know here and describe each in two short sentences, starting the second one with _die_: _Ken je Carlos? Die woont bij mij om de hoek._ Then react to the next piece of news you hear with _Dat is leuk_ or _Dat is jammer_.