To report a statement in Dutch, link it with _dat_ and move the verb to the end: _Hij zei dat hij moe was._ To report a question, use _of_ for a yes or no question and keep the question word for the others: _Ze vroeg of ik kwam_ and _Ze vroeg waar ik woonde_. Then retell it from where you stand now: pronouns (words like _ik_ and _hij_), time words and often the tense change with you.
The pattern
A reported statement starts with _dat_, a reported question with _of_ or a question word. After that word, the subject and verb are not swapped and the verbs go to the end, as in any subordinate clause (a sentence inside a sentence).
- Statements: _zeggen_, _vertellen_, _schrijven_ or _laten weten_ plus _dat_: _Sanne zei dat de trein vertraging had._
- Yes or no questions: _vragen_ or _willen weten_ plus _of_: _Hij vroeg of ik koffie wilde._
- Other questions: keep _wie_, _wat_, _waar_, _wanneer_, _hoe_ or _waarom_: _Ze vroeg waarom ik te laat was._
- English often drops that. Dutch keeps _dat_.
- Pronouns and time words shift to your point of view: _ik_ becomes _hij_ or _zij_, _morgen_ may become _de volgende dag_.
- The tense often moves one step back: _ben_ becomes _was_, _heb gedaan_ becomes _had gedaan_, _zal_ becomes _zou_.
Examples
| Daan zei dat hij moe was. | Daan said he was tired. |
|---|---|
| Fatima schreef dat ze vrijdag vrij is. | Fatima wrote that she is off on Friday. |
| Mijn buurvrouw vroeg of ik haar pakketje wilde aannemen. | My neighbour asked if I would take in her parcel. |
| De conducteur vroeg waar ik was ingestapt. | The conductor asked where I had got on. |
| De huisarts vroeg hoe lang ik al last had van mijn knie. | The GP asked how long I had been having trouble with my knee. |
| Ahmed zei dat hij de volgende dag zou bellen. | Ahmed said he would call the next day. |
| Lotte vertelde dat ze haar rijbewijs had gehaald. | Lotte told us she had passed her driving test. |
| De gemeente liet weten dat de aanvraag nog in behandeling is. | The municipality let us know that the application is still being processed. |
| Bas vroeg wie er zaterdag voor de taart zorgt. | Bas asked who is taking care of the cake on Saturday. |
Why it works this way
Think of yourself as a reporter. The other person's words become a piece of information inside your own sentence, and once they are inside, they follow the rules of any [subordinate clause](#/lesson/subordinate-clauses). A reported question is no longer a real question, so it loses its question order, just like in [indirect questions](#/lesson/indirect-questions) such as _Weet jij of de winkel open is?_
Everything that points at a person, a place or a moment is recalculated from your chair:
- _"Ik ben ziek," zei Fatima._ becomes _Fatima zei dat ze ziek was._
- _"Woon je hier al lang?" vroeg Carlos._ becomes, told later at work, _Carlos vroeg of ik daar al lang woonde._
- _"Wat heb je gisteren gedaan?" vroeg Emma._ becomes _Emma vroeg wat ik de dag ervoor had gedaan._
The usual time swaps are _vandaag_ to _die dag_, _morgen_ to _de volgende dag_, _gisteren_ to _de dag ervoor_ and _nu_ to _toen_. Change a time word whenever it would now point to a different moment than the speaker meant. If Joris asked you this morning, _Joris vroeg of ik morgen kom_ is exactly right, because his _morgen_ is still your _morgen_. If he asked yesterday, his _morgen_ is today: _Joris vroeg gisteren of ik vandaag kom._
The tense follows the same logic, loosely. One step back is the normal choice when you retell a past situation. When something is still true or still ahead, speakers often keep the present: _Mei zei dat ze in Utrecht woont_ tells you she lives there now. _Mei zei dat ze in Utrecht woonde_ is also correct, but leaves open whether she still does. For _zal_ becoming _zou_, see [zou and zouden](#/lesson/zou-would).
English if and Spanish si cover both conditions and reported questions. Dutch splits that job: _als_ for conditions, _of_ for reported questions.
Remember: report from your own chair. Ask who _ik_ is now, where _hier_ is now and which day _morgen_ is now, then park the verbs at the end of the clause that _dat_, _of_ or the question word opens.
Watch out
- Not: _Daan zei dat hij was moe._ Say: _Daan zei dat hij moe was._ (after _dat_, the verb goes to the end)
- Not: _Mei vroeg als ik meeging._ Say: _Mei vroeg of ik meeging._ (a reported yes or no question uses _of_; _als_ is the if of conditions)
- Not: _De conducteur vroeg waar ging ik naartoe._ Say: _De conducteur vroeg waar ik naartoe ging._ (no question order inside a reported question)
- Not: _Lotte zei dat ze komt vanavond langs._ Say: _Lotte zei dat ze vanavond langskomt._ (a separable verb like _langskomen_ joins up again at the end)
Quick check
- Sanne asked you: _"Heb je zaterdag tijd?"_ Fill in _of_, _als_ or _dat_: _Sanne vroeg ... ik zaterdag tijd had._
- Fix the word order: _Ahmed vroeg hoe laat begon de vergadering._
- Bas told you: _"Ik ben mijn sleutels kwijt."_ Choose _mijn_, _zijn_ or _jouw_: _Bas zei dat hij ... sleutels kwijt was._
- On Monday, Priya said: _"Ik werk morgen thuis."_ It is now Thursday. Choose _morgen_, _de volgende dag_ or _vandaag_: _Priya zei dat ze ... thuis werkte._
Answers
- _of_ (a yes or no question is reported with _of_)
- _Ahmed vroeg hoe laat de vergadering begon._ (no question order: subject first, verb at the end)
- _zijn_ (the keys are Bas's, so his _mijn_ becomes _zijn_)
- _de volgende dag_ (Priya's _morgen_ was Tuesday; said on Thursday, _morgen_ would mean Friday)
Use it today
This evening, retell one conversation from your day in Dutch, in a message or out loud: one thing someone said with _dat_ and one thing someone asked with _of_ or a question word. For example: _Mijn collega vroeg of ik morgen op kantoor ben._