In ordinary Dutch questions about a thing, you join _waar_ to the preposition instead of using _wat_: you ask _Waarmee schrijf je?_ (What are you writing with?) rather than _Met wat schrijf je?_, which only turns up in casual speech. In everyday speech the two parts often split up, as in _Waar denk je aan?_ (What are you thinking about?). When the answer is a person, you keep the preposition and use _wie_: _Aan wie denk je?_
The pattern
For things, Dutch normally replaces a preposition plus _wat_ with _waar_ plus that preposition: _waarmee_, _waarover_, _waaraan_. For people, it keeps the preposition and adds _wie_: _met wie_, _over wie_, _aan wie_.
- Most prepositions simply attach: _waarover_, _waaraan_, _waarop_, _waarin_, _waarvoor_, _waarvan_, _waarnaar_, _waardoor_.
- Two change shape: _met_ becomes _mee_ (_waarmee_) and _tot_ becomes _toe_ (_waartoe_). This also happens when the parts split: _Waar betaal je mee?_
- You can keep the two parts together at the start, or split them: _waar_ goes first and the preposition goes to the end, before any infinitive or past participle: _Waar heb je op gewacht?_
- The split version is the everyday spoken choice. The joined version tends to sound a little more careful and is common in writing.
- In standard Dutch, _wie_ stays next to its preposition: _Op wie wacht je?_
- The preposition usually comes from the verb or adjective: _denken aan_, _wachten op_, _bang zijn voor_. See [verbs with a fixed preposition](#/lesson/verbs-with-prepositions).
Examples
| Waarmee betaal je hier, met je pinpas of met je telefoon? | What do you pay with here, your debit card or your phone? |
|---|---|
| Waar gaat de vergadering van morgen over? | What is tomorrow's meeting about? |
| Waarover wilt u de huisarts spreken? | What would you like to see the GP about? |
| Waar denk je aan, Sanne? Je kijkt zo serieus. | What are you thinking about, Sanne? You look so serious. |
| Waar wacht je nog op? De trein vertrekt zo. | What are you still waiting for? The train is about to leave. |
| Waardoor is de verwarming uitgevallen? | What made the heating stop working? |
| Waar heeft Ahmed zich zo over opgewonden? | What did Ahmed get so worked up about? |
| Aan wie heb je de reservesleutel gegeven? | Who did you give the spare key to? |
| Met wie fiets je morgen naar je werk? | Who are you cycling to work with tomorrow? |
| Op wie wachten jullie nog, op Daan of op Priya? | Who are you still waiting for, Daan or Priya? |
Why it works this way
Dutch has a whole family of these words. A preposition does not like to stand in front of _het_, _dit_, _dat_ or _wat_ when they refer to a thing, so it hooks onto a small place word instead:
- _ermee_: with it
- _hiermee_: with this
- _daarmee_: with that
- _waarmee_: with what
If you know [er plus a preposition](#/lesson/er-plus-preposition), _waar-_ is simply the question member of the same family, and it splits in the same way. English once had this system too, and traces survive in words like therefore, herewith, whereby and whereupon. Dutch just kept using it.
Splitting feels natural to English speakers, because English also leaves the preposition at the end: What are you waiting for? The trap is people. English happily says Who are you waiting for?, but standard Dutch does not split _wie_. Compare:
- _Waar wacht je op?_ (the bus, a parcel)
- _Op wie wacht je?_ (Joris, your sister)
- _Waarmee ga je naar Utrecht?_ (the train, the car)
- _Met wie ga je naar Utrecht?_ (Mei, your colleagues)
Spanish and Arabic speakers often translate word for word and produce _met wat_. German speakers will recognise the system from their own wo- forms, so the only surprise is _mee_.
To be honest about real speech: you will hear _met wat_ or _over wat_ in quick, casual Dutch, and when someone missed a word and asks back with stress: _Met wát?_ In ordinary questions, and in anything you write, use _waar-_. The same split also turns up in [relative clauses](#/lesson/relative-wie-wat-waar) and [indirect questions](#/lesson/indirect-questions): _Ik weet niet waar ze het over hadden._
Remember: a thing gets _waar-_, a person gets _wie_. If the answer could be a name, put the preposition in front of _wie_ and keep them together.
Watch out
- Not: _Wat denk je aan?_ Say: _Waar denk je aan?_ (only _waar_ can leave its preposition at the end)
- Not: _Waarmet open je dit blik?_ Say: _Waarmee open je dit blik?_ (_met_ becomes _mee_)
- Not: _Waarover gaat het artikel over?_ Say: _Waar gaat het artikel over?_ (the preposition appears only once)
- Not: _Wie lijk je op, je vader of je moeder?_ Say: _Op wie lijk je, je vader of je moeder?_ (_wie_ stays with its preposition)
- Not: _Waar heb je gewacht op?_ Say: _Waar heb je op gewacht?_ (the preposition comes before the final verb)
Quick check
- Fill in one word: _... is die tas gemaakt? Van oude spijkerbroeken._
- Choose _Op wie_ or _Waarop_: _... wacht je? Op Lotte, die is altijd te laat._
- Rewrite in the usual form, with _waar_ first and the preposition at the end: _Over wat heeft Bas het steeds?_
- Fill in the missing preposition: _Waar ben je de hele ochtend al ... bezig? Met mijn belastingaangifte._
Answers
- _Waarvan_ (a thing, and _gemaakt van_ needs _van_)
- _Op wie_ (Lotte is a person)
- _Waar heeft Bas het steeds over?_ (the usual form of _over wat_ is _waar ... over_)
- _mee_ (_bezig met_, and _met_ becomes _mee_ even when split)
Use it today
Ask one split question about a thing and one question about a person today, for example _Waar ben je nu mee bezig?_ to a colleague and _Met wie ga je naar die verjaardag?_ to a friend or neighbour.