In a Dutch question with a question word, the question word comes first, the verb comes second and the subject usually comes third: _Waar woon je?_ (Where do you live?), _Wanneer begint de les?_ (When does the class start?). When you ask about a thing with a preposition, Dutch usually puts _waar_ at the front and the preposition at the end: _Waar wacht je op?_ (What are you waiting for?).
The pattern
The question word takes first place and the conjugated verb (the verb form that matches the subject, like _woon_ or _begint_) takes second place. The subject (who or what does the action) usually follows right after the verb.
- Question words ask for information: _wie_ (who), _wat_ (what), _waar_ (where), _wanneer_ (when), _hoe_ (how), _waarom_ (why). See [Question words](#/lesson/question-words).
- A phrase like _hoe laat_ (what time) or _welke bus_ (which bus) counts as one block in first place.
- When _je_ or _jij_ follows the verb, the verb drops its -t ending: _jij woont_, but _Waar woon je?_ With _u_ the -t stays: _Waar woont u?_ More in [Werk jij? Where the t disappears](#/lesson/jij-inversion).
- If the question word is the subject itself, no other subject is needed: _Wie heeft een pen?_
- To ask about a thing with a preposition, most speakers start with _waar_ and put the preposition at the end: _Waar wacht je op?_ For a person, the preposition goes before _wie_: _Op wie wacht je?_
Examples
| Waar woon je? | Where do you live? |
|---|---|
| Wanneer begint de les? | When does the class start? |
| Hoe laat vertrekt de trein naar Utrecht? | What time does the train to Utrecht leave? |
| Wat eet Daan vanavond? | What is Daan eating tonight? |
| Waarom fietst Fatima vandaag niet? | Why isn't Fatima cycling today? |
| Hoeveel kost een brood? | How much is a loaf of bread? |
| Wie heeft een pen? | Who has a pen? |
| Waar wacht je op? | What are you waiting for? |
| Waar praten jullie over? | What are you talking about? |
| Waar kom je vandaan? | Where are you from? |
Why it works this way
Dutch keeps the conjugated verb in second place in a main clause ([Verb second](#/lesson/verb-second)). In a statement, the subject often takes first place. In a question, the question word claims that spot, so the subject moves behind the verb. Compare:
- _Je woont in Delft._ (a statement)
- _Woon je in Delft?_ (a yes or no question: the verb comes first)
- _Waar woon je?_ (the question word first, the verb second)
English gets the verb forward with a helper: where do you live? Dutch has no helper here. The real verb moves itself, so do and does simply vanish in translation.
The split preposition will feel familiar, because English does it too: what are you looking at? The only change is that Dutch uses _waar_ for the thing instead of _wat_. The joined form _Waarop wacht je?_ is also correct, but it sounds more formal and turns up more in writing. More in [Questions with a preposition](#/lesson/preposition-questions).
Remember: first place is a single seat. Once the question word sits there, the subject queues behind the verb, just like in _Morgen ga ik_.
Watch out
- Not: _Wanneer de les begint?_ Say: _Wanneer begint de les?_ (the verb comes right after the question word)
- Not: _Waar woont je?_ Say: _Waar woon je?_ (when _je_ follows the verb, the -t disappears)
- Not: _Wat kijk je naar?_ Say: _Waar kijk je naar?_ (with a preposition, use _waar_ for things)
- Not: _Wie praat je met?_ Say: _Met wie praat je?_ (for people, the preposition goes before _wie_)
Quick check
- Fix the sentence: _Hoe laat Mei vertrekt?_
- Choose: _Waar ... je?_ (_werk_ or _werkt_)
- Lotte asks _... wacht je op?_ and Ahmed answers _Op bus 12._ Choose _Wat_ or _Waar_.
- Fill in the gap. Joris asks _Met ... praat je?_ and Emma answers _Met Bas._
Answers
- _Hoe laat vertrekt Mei?_ (_hoe laat_ is one block, then the verb, then the subject)
- _werk_ (_je_ comes after the verb, so the -t drops)
- _Waar_ (a bus is a thing, and the question has a preposition)
- _wie_ (Bas is a person, so the preposition stays with _wie_)
Use it today
Write down three questions for a neighbour or colleague, such as _Waar kom je vandaan?_ and _Hoe laat begin je morgen?_, and ask one of them out loud today. Check that your verb comes right after the question word.