_Wiens_ and _wier_ are the formal Dutch words for whose; in speech, most people simply say _van wie_. Use _wiens_ when the owner is masculine or a neuter _het_ word (_de man wiens auto gestolen is_), and _wier_ when the owner is feminine or plural (_de vrouw wier zoon in Leiden studeert_). _Hetgeen_ is a formal word for _wat_ (what, that which), used mainly to refer back to a whole clause, and you will meet all three mostly in official letters, newspapers and novels.
The pattern
In formal writing, whose is _wiens_ when the owner is masculine or neuter and _wier_ when the owner is feminine or plural. In speech, people say _van wie_ plus the article for a person, and usually _wat_ where formal texts write _hetgeen_.
- _Wiens_ and _wier_ are relative pronouns: words like who and which that hook a clause onto a noun. The noun after _wiens_ or _wier_ takes no article: _de man wiens auto_.
- The owner decides, never the thing owned: _de man wiens dochter_, _de vrouw wier man_.
- With people, the real person usually counts: a female _huisarts_ gets _wier_. With _het meisje_ you will see both words.
- They are mostly used for people. For things, Dutch normally says _waarvan_: _het huis waarvan het dak lekt_ (see [Waarmee, waarover, waaraan](#/lesson/waar-plus-preposition)).
- A preposition moves to the front: _de buurman met wiens ladder ik de goot heb schoongemaakt_.
- _Hetgeen_ points back to a whole clause or stands on its own: _hetgeen ik al zei_ (what I already said). It does not point back to a single noun.
Examples
| De man wiens fiets bij het station was gestolen, deed meteen aangifte. | The man whose bike had been stolen at the station reported it to the police straight away. |
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| Fatima, wier zoon net zijn rijbewijs heeft gehaald, slaapt sinds kort een stuk slechter. | Fatima, whose son has just passed his driving test, has been sleeping a lot worse lately. |
| Het bestuurslid wiens termijn in juni afloopt, stelt zich niet herkiesbaar. | The board member whose term ends in June is not standing for re-election. |
| Bewoners wier woning door de storm is beschadigd, kunnen bij de gemeente een tegemoetkoming aanvragen. | Residents whose homes were damaged in the storm can apply to the municipality for compensation. |
| Ze dacht aan haar grootmoeder, wier handen altijd naar groene zeep roken. | She thought of her grandmother, whose hands always smelled of green soap. |
| Dat is de collega van wie de laptop in de trein is blijven liggen. | That's the colleague whose laptop got left behind on the train. |
| Bas zegde de afspraak op het laatste moment af, hetgeen niemand meer verbaasde. | Bas cancelled the appointment at the last minute, which no longer surprised anyone. |
| Het onderzoek bevestigt hetgeen omwonenden al jaren beweren. | The study confirms what local residents have been saying for years. |
Why it works this way
_Wiens_ and _wier_ are relative versions of possessives you already use. Ask which word the owner would get in a plain sentence: _De man is zijn fiets kwijt_ gives _wiens_; _Fatima mist haar zoon_ and _De buren laten hun hond uit_ give _wier_. That is also why a female GP gets _wier_: you would say _haar praktijk_. If _zijn_, _haar_ and _hun_ still wobble, revisit [Possessive pronouns](#/lesson/possessive-pronouns).
Remember: where a plain sentence would have _zijn_, write _wiens_; where it would have _haar_ or _hun_, write _wier_.
Both words are leftovers of old case endings, which is why they sound bookish now. If you speak German, they work much like "dessen" and "deren". In conversation, Dutch speakers say _van wie_ for people and keep _waarvan_ mainly for things; when the owner is a person, _van wie_ is the safe choice in both speech and writing (more in [Wie, wat and waar- in relative clauses](#/lesson/relative-wie-wat-waar)).
_Hetgeen_ means roughly _datgene wat_, that which: it is _wat_ in a suit and tie. It works where _wat_ refers back to a whole clause or has nothing in front of it. After a noun, keep _die_ or _dat_ (see [Relative pronouns: die and dat](#/lesson/relative-die-dat)). With a preposition, Dutch switches to a word with _waar-_: _De server viel uit, waardoor honderden klanten niet konden betalen._
Watch out
- Not: _De vrouw wiens zoon in Leiden studeert, werkt bij de gemeente._ Say: _De vrouw wier zoon in Leiden studeert, werkt bij de gemeente._ (the owner decides, and she is a woman)
- Not: _Dat is de man wie auto gestolen is._ Say: _Dat is de man wiens auto gestolen is._ (_wie_ on its own is not possessive)
- Not: _Ik ken de buren van wie hond zo hard blaft._ Say: _Ik ken de buren van wie de hond zo hard blaft._ (after _van wie_, the noun keeps its article)
- Not: _de buurman wiens ladder ik de goot mee heb schoongemaakt_ Say: _de buurman met wiens ladder ik de goot heb schoongemaakt_ (the preposition goes in front of _wiens_, not at the end)
- Not: _Het voorstel hetgeen de gemeente presenteerde, is afgewezen._ Say: _Het voorstel dat de gemeente presenteerde, is afgewezen._ (_hetgeen_ cannot point back to a noun)
Quick check
- Choose _wiens_ or _wier_: Meneer De Vries, ... auto al de hele ochtend op de stoep staat, is onze nieuwe buurman.
- Choose _wiens_ or _wier_: De reizigers ... trein in Utrecht was uitgevallen, kregen een taxi naar Arnhem.
- Choose _dat_ or _hetgeen_: Het college verhoogt de parkeertarieven opnieuw, ... tot veel boze reacties leidt.
- Rewrite for speech with _van wie_: Ken jij de buurvrouw wier kat al drie dagen kwijt is?
Answers
- _wiens_: the owner is a man, and you would say _zijn auto_.
- _wier_: the owners are plural, and you would say _hun trein_.
- _hetgeen_: it points back to the whole first clause, which _dat_ cannot do.
- _Ken jij de buurvrouw van wie de kat al drie dagen kwijt is?_ (_van wie_ plus the article _de_)
Use it today
Take a letter from your _gemeente_, your landlord or your health insurer, or a long newspaper article, and hunt for _wiens_, _wier_ and _hetgeen_. Then say each sentence out loud the way you would tell it to a colleague, with _van wie_ or _wat_.