When you want to say "the man who..." or "the house that..." in Dutch, you use _die_ or _dat_. Use _dat_ after a singular het-word and _die_ after everything else: de-words and all plurals. The verb goes to the end of that part of the sentence, and unlike English, you can never leave _die_ or _dat_ out.
The pattern
Use _die_ after de-words and plurals, and _dat_ after singular het-words. The conjugated verb goes to the end of the relative clause.
- A relative pronoun is a linking word like English who, which or that. It works the same for people and things. The extra information it introduces is the relative clause.
- De-word: _de man die daar staat_
- Singular het-word: _het huis dat ik koop_
- Plural: always _die_, even for het-words: _de huizen die ik bekijk_
- Diminutives are het-words, so they take _dat_: _het kopje dat op tafel staat_
- The conjugated verb (the one that matches the subject) moves to the end. Any other verbs join it there.
- In writing, a comma often closes the relative clause when the main verb follows right after it.
Examples
| De man die daar bij de bushalte staat, is mijn buurman. | The man who is standing at the bus stop over there is my neighbour. |
|---|---|
| Het meisje dat achter de kassa zit, is de dochter van Fatima. | The girl who is sitting at the till is Fatima's daughter. |
| De fiets die Daan wil kopen, is tweedehands. | The bike Daan wants to buy is second-hand. |
| Het huis dat ik koop, ligt vlak bij het station. | The house I'm buying is very close to the station. |
| De huizen die we bekeken, waren allemaal te klein. | The houses we looked at were all too small. |
| Het boek dat Priya me gaf, is echt spannend. | The book Priya gave me is really gripping. |
| Mei heeft een collega die drie talen spreekt. | Mei has a colleague who speaks three languages. |
| De trein die om acht uur vertrekt, is weer vertraagd. | The train that leaves at eight is delayed again. |
| Is dit het formulier dat ik bij de gemeente moet inleveren? | Is this the form I have to hand in at the town hall? |
Why it works this way
_Die_ and _dat_ are old friends: they are the same words you use to point at things, as in _die fiets_ and _dat huis_. In a relative clause they point back at the noun you just mentioned, so they follow its article. Compare _de fiets die ik koop_, _het huis dat ik koop_ and _de huizen die ik koop_. Every plural takes _de_, so every plural takes _die_. If you are unsure about a noun, see [De or het](#/lesson/de-and-het).
Remember: _de_ ends in e, and so does _die_. _Het_ ends in t, and so does _dat_.
The verb goes to the end because a relative clause is a subordinate clause: a part of the sentence that cannot stand alone. Dutch sends the conjugated verb to the end of every subordinate clause, just as after _omdat_ (see [Subordinate clauses](#/lesson/subordinate-clauses)).
English happily says "the book I read", but Dutch has no such shortcut. A useful way to see it: _die_ or _dat_ is the flag that says "extra information coming, verb at the end". Without the flag, the listener loses the thread.
In relaxed speech you will hear _het meisje die_ or _het bedrijf die_. It is common, but in writing and in exams it counts as a mistake, so stick to _dat_. After a preposition, as in "the man I spoke to", Dutch uses other words: that is the topic of [the next lesson](#/lesson/relative-wie-wat-waar).
Watch out
- Not: _De jas ik gisteren kocht, is te klein._ Say: _De jas die ik gisteren kocht, is te klein._ (Dutch never drops _die_ or _dat_)
- Not: _de man die staat daar_ Say: _de man die daar staat_ (the verb goes to the end)
- Not: _het huis die ik koop_ Say: _het huis dat ik koop_ (_huis_ is a het-word)
- Not: _de buurvrouw wie ik ken_ Say: _de buurvrouw die ik ken_ (without a preposition, who is _die_)
- Not: _de collega die ik hem gisteren belde_ Say: _de collega die ik gisteren belde_ (_die_ already stands for the person, so no extra _hem_)
Quick check
- Fill in _die_ or _dat_: _Waar is het pakketje ... gisteren is bezorgd?_
- Choose: _De treinen (die / dat) naar Amsterdam rijden, zijn vandaag vol._
- Fix the sentence: _De film ik gisteren zag, was saai._
- Fix the sentence: _Lotte heeft een baan die is heel leuk._
Answers
- _dat_: _pakketje_ is a diminutive, and diminutives are always het-words.
- _die_: _treinen_ is plural, and plurals always take _die_.
- _De film die ik gisteren zag, was saai._ Dutch cannot leave out _die_.
- _Lotte heeft een baan die heel leuk is._ The verb goes to the end of the relative clause.
Use it today
Think of three people you see this week, like a neighbour, a colleague or your GP, and describe each one in a sentence with _die_: _Bas is de buurman die altijd zijn fiets voor mijn deur zet._ Then pick one het-word around you, such as _het café_ or _het station_, and write one sentence with _dat_.