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Question words - Vraagwoorden
Question words are used when asking about people, things, places, times, etc. The answer to these questions is never yes or no. For example:
| Wie ben jij? |
Who are you? |
| Wat studeer je in Hull? |
What do you study in Hull? |
| Waar woont Kenny? |
Where does Kenny live? |
| Wanneer ga jij naar huis? |
When do you go home? |
| Hoe gaat het ermee? |
How are you? |
The above question words all function on their own. However, hoe can also be used with an adjective.
| Hoe oud ben jij? |
How old are you? |
| Hoe hoog is de Mount Everest? |
How high (big) is the Mount Everest? |
The question word welk(e) can only be used atributively with a noun. Note that welk(e) behaves like an adjective, so an -e is added when it qualifies a de-word.
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| Welk zusje studeert medicijnen? |
Which sister studies medicine? |
| Welke jas is van jou? |
Which coat is yours? |
Note that in answering a question with waarom, you will need to use a subordinate clause starting with omdat:
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| Waarom studeer jij Nederlands? |
Why do you study Dutch? |
Omdat ik interesse in vreemde talen heb.
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Because I am interested in foreign languages. |
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Wie, wat and welk(e) are interrogative pronouns, the others are interrogative adverbs
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