When a question is about a thing and needs a preposition (a small linking word like _met_, _op_ or _over_), Dutch uses _waar_ plus that preposition: _Waarover gaat het?_ or, split in two, _Waar gaat het over?_ When the question is about a person, you put the preposition before _wie_: _Met wie ga je?_ You may hear _met wat_ or _over wat_ in informal speech, but _waar_ plus a preposition is the usual form and the safe choice, especially in writing and exams.
The pattern
For things, use _waar_ plus the preposition, joined or split. For people, use the preposition plus _wie_, together at the start of the question.
- Joined: _waarover_, _waarop_, _waaraan_, _waarnaar_. This sounds slightly more formal and is common in writing.
- Split: _waar_ goes first and the preposition moves to the end of the clause. If there are final verbs, it goes just before them, not after them: _Waar heb je naar gekeken?_ (see [what can come after the final verbs](#/lesson/after-the-final-verb)). This is the usual choice in speech.
- After _waar_, _met_ becomes _mee_ and _tot_ becomes _toe_: _waarmee_, _Waar betaal je mee?_
- The verb decides the preposition: _kijken naar_, _wachten op_, _denken aan_ (see [verbs with a fixed preposition](#/lesson/verbs-with-prepositions)).
- For people, the pair does not split: _met wie_, _op wie_, _aan wie_, _van wie_.
- _Wat voor_ (what kind of) can follow a preposition: _Met wat voor bus kom je?_
Examples
| Waar kijk je naar? | What are you looking at? |
|---|---|
| Waarover gaat de brief van de gemeente? | What is the letter from the council about? |
| Waar heb je het over? | What are you talking about? |
| Waar heeft Mei zich voor aangemeld? | What has Mei signed up for? |
| Waarmee ga je naar je werk, met de fiets of met de trein? | How do you get to work, by bike or by train? |
| Met wie ga je zaterdag naar de verjaardag van Sanne? | Who are you going to Sanne's birthday with on Saturday? |
| Waar wacht je eigenlijk op? | What are you actually waiting for? |
| Op wie wacht je? | Who are you waiting for? |
| Van wie is die blauwe fiets bij de deur? | Whose is that blue bike by the door? |
| Ik begrijp niet waar de huisarts het over had. | I don't understand what the GP was talking about. |
Why it works this way
Dutch usually avoids a preposition followed by a pronoun for a thing, such as _het_, _dat_ or _wat_. Instead it uses a place word and attaches the preposition to it: _ermee_ (with it), _daarmee_ (with that) and, in questions, _waarmee_ (with what). You may know the first two from [er plus a preposition](#/lesson/er-plus-preposition). So in these preposition questions, _waar_ does not mean "where" but stands for "what": _Waar kijk je naar?_ simply means "What are you looking at?" Without a preposition, as in _Waar woon je?_, it still means "where".
People work differently. _Met hem_, _met haar_ and _met wie_ are normal Dutch, so the preposition stays in front of _wie_. The contrast pairs show it: _Op wie wacht je?_ expects a person (_Op Daan._), while _Waar wacht je op?_ expects a thing (_Op de bus._). _Met wie ga je?_ asks about company, _Waarmee ga je?_ about transport.
Why can _waar_ travel? A question word wants the first position, while the preposition stays in its normal place near the end. One fun trap: as a question word, _waarom_ means "why", but _Waar gaat het om?_ means "What is it about?" If you speak German, _waarmee_ is your _womit_; Dutch just splits it far more freely. You will hear _met wat_ and _over wat_ in informal speech, especially in Belgian Dutch, so they are not shocking. Careful speakers and writers in the Netherlands still prefer the _waar_ form, so use that in emails, letters and exams.
Remember: things get _waar_, people get _wie_. Decide first whether the answer will be a thing or a person, and the rest of the question follows.
Watch out
- Not: _Waarover gaat de vergadering over?_ Say: _Waar gaat de vergadering over?_ (use the preposition once: joined or split, not both)
- Not: _Wat wacht je op?_ Say: _Waar wacht je op?_ (English "what ... for" still needs _waar_)
- Not: _Wie ga je naar het feest met?_ Say: _Met wie ga je naar het feest?_ (with people, the preposition and _wie_ stay together at the start)
- Not: _Waarmet betaal je hier?_ Say: _Waarmee betaal je hier?_ (_met_ becomes _mee_ after _waar_)
- Not: _Waar heb je gekeken naar?_ Say: _Waar heb je naar gekeken?_ (the preposition comes before the final verb)
Quick check
- Joris has earbuds in. Fill in the preposition: _Waar luister je ...?_ Joris answers: _Naar een podcast over fietsen._
- Choose: Priya asks _(Met wie / Waarmee) ga je naar de verjaardag van Bas?_ and Ahmed answers _Met mijn buurvrouw Yara._
- Fix the question word, keeping it as one word: _Waarmet ga je naar je werk, met de bus of met de fiets?_
- Fatima finds a key in the hall and wants to know who owns it. Fill in the preposition: _... wie is deze sleutel?_
Answers
- _Naar_: the verb is _luisteren naar_, and in the split form the preposition goes at the end.
- _Met wie_: the answer is a person.
- _Waarmee ga je naar je werk, met de bus of met de fiets?_: _met_ becomes _mee_ after _waar_.
- _Van_: _van wie_ asks who something belongs to.
Use it today
Today, ask someone two questions about things and one about a person, for example _Waar heb je vanavond zin in?_ and _Met wie heb je vandaag geluncht?_ Check that each question about a thing uses _waar_ plus the right preposition, joined or split, and that a split preposition comes before any final verbs, as in _Waar heb je naar gekeken?_