Question Words in Dutch

Question words — wie, wat, waar, wanneer, hoe, waarom — are your key to asking for information in Dutch. They are called vraagwoorden (literally "ask-words") and most of them conveniently start with the letter w, just like English question words start with "wh."

Asking questions is one of the most important skills in a new language. It lets you navigate, learn, connect with people, and solve problems. Dutch question words are straightforward to learn, and the sentence structure that follows them is consistent: the question word goes first, the verb comes second, and the subject follows the verb. This is the same V2 (verb-second) pattern you know from main clauses.

At the A1 level, you should be able to use all the common question words fluently in simple questions.

Formation / How It Works

The Essential Question Words

Dutch	English	Example question
wie	who	Wie is dat?
wat	what	Wat doe je?
waar	where	Waar woon je?
wanneer	when	Wanneer kom je?
hoe	how	Hoe gaat het?
waarom	why	Waarom leer je Nederlands?
welke / welk	which	Welke trein neem je?
hoeveel	how much / how many	Hoeveel kost het?

Word Order in Questions

The question word occupies position 1, followed by the verb in position 2, then the subject:

Position 1 (question word)	Position 2 (verb)	Subject	Rest
Waar	woon	je	?
Wat	doe	je	vandaag?
Hoe	heet	u	?
Wanneer	begint	de film	?

Welke vs. Welk

Like demonstratives, welke/welk depends on the noun's gender:

Noun type	Form	Example
De-word	welke	Welke kleur wil je?
Het-word	welk	Welk boek lees je?
Plural	welke	Welke schoenen draag je?

Compound Question Words with Waar

Dutch creates many question words by combining waar with a preposition:

Dutch	English	Example
waarmee	with what	Waarmee kan ik je helpen?
waarover	about what	Waarover praat je?
waarvoor	what for / for what	Waarvoor is dat?
waarheen / waarnaartoe	where to	Waarheen ga je?
waarvan	of what / from what	Waarvan is het gemaakt?

These compounds are used when the question refers to a thing, not a person. For people, separate the preposition: Met wie praat je? (With whom are you talking?).

Hoe Combinations

Dutch	English
hoe laat	what time (lit. how late)
hoe lang	how long
hoe ver	how far
hoe oud	how old
hoeveel	how much / how many

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Wie is die man?	Who is that man?	Person
Wat is je telefoonnummer?	What is your phone number?	Thing/information
Waar is het station?	Where is the station?	Location
Wanneer vertrekt de trein?	When does the train leave?	Time
Hoe heet je?	What is your name? (lit. How are you called?)	Introduction
Waarom ben je te laat?	Why are you late?	Reason
Welke taal spreek je?	Which language do you speak?	Choice (de-word)
Welk nummer is het?	Which number is it?	Choice (het-word)
Hoeveel kost dit?	How much does this cost?	Price
Hoe laat is het?	What time is it?	Time
Hoe oud ben je?	How old are you?	Age
Waar kom je vandaan?	Where do you come from?	Origin
Waarmee kan ik u helpen?	How can I help you? (With what...)	Formal, compound
Hoe lang duurt de reis?	How long does the trip take?	Duration

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
Wat is je naam?	Hoe heet je? (or: Wat is je naam? — also correct)	Both are correct, but Hoe heet je? is more natural and idiomatic.
Welke boek lees je?	Welk boek lees je?	Boek is a het-word → use welk.
Waar ga je? (meaning "where to")	Waar ga je naartoe? / Waarheen ga je?	For direction, add naartoe or heen. Plain waar asks about location.
Hoe veel kost het?	Hoeveel kost het?	Hoeveel is one word, not two.

Practice Tips

1. Question word flashcards. Put the Dutch question word on one side and its English equivalent plus an example question on the other. Drill these daily until they are automatic.

2. Interview game. Pretend you are interviewing someone. Ask questions using every question word: Wie ben je? Wat doe je? Waar woon je? Wanneer ben je geboren? Hoe oud ben je? Waarom leer je Nederlands? This creates a natural flow.

3. Hoe combinations. Practice the hoe + adjective patterns: Hoe oud? Hoe lang? Hoe ver? Hoe laat? Hoeveel? These pop up constantly in daily life and are worth drilling as set phrases.

Related Concepts

• Yes/No Questions
• Basic Word Order
• De and Het Words