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Query Words: Hoe Wie Wat Waar Welke Wanneer

hoe click to hear how - wie click to hear 2 who
wat click to hear what - waar click to hear where
welk click to hear 2 / welke click to hear 2 which
wanneer click to hear when

I'm calling the page 'query words' - words asking to identify persons, things or procedures, but the words can also be found at the start of sub-sentences with further information about things or people mentioned before: The house where I was born.
De plaats waar ik vandaan kom click to hear 2 The place  where I'm from - 'My Home Town' The Dutch and English words are not entirely equivalent, especially this second meaning of wie and translating wanneer is even more complicated.
'Waar' and 'Wat' already had their own page and will only be mentioned briefly here; explanation and examples of usage of 'Wanneer' was spread over several pages and is brought together here.

'Hoe' = How
'Wie' = Who
'Welk/Welke' = Which
'Wanneer' = When
'Wat' = What, 'Waar' = Where, 'Waarom' = Why

'Hoe' = How

'Hoe' click to hear is 'how,' in what way?

Hoe doe je dat? click to hear How do you do that? Hoe heb je dat gedaan? click to hear How did you do that? Hoe werkt 't? click to hear 2 How does it work? How does it go? (What's the mechanism or procedure? ) Ik begrijp niet hoe 't werkt click to hear I don't understand how it 'works' (how the mechanism runs) Hoe had ik 't anders kunnen doen? click to hear How could I have done it differently, in another way? Hoe hou je 't uit! click to hear 2 3 4 How can you [hold out] stand it! Hoe krijgen we al dat water weer weg? click to hear How can we ever get rid of all that water? Hoe krijgen we al dat water in hemelsnaam weer weg? click to
 hear How can we ever get rid of all that water, in heaven's name? Hoe dan ook click to hear 2 3 anyway, anyhow, in whatever way possible

Hoe zeg je dat in het Nederlands? click to hear 2 How do you say that in Dutch? Weet jij hoe je 't moet zeggen? click to hear Do you know how to say it? Hoe zeg je dat precies? click to hear 2 How exactly do you say that? What is the precise wording? Weet je hoe je het moet uitspreken? click to hear 2 Do you know how to prononce it?

Hoe kan dat? click to hear 2 How can that be? How is it possible? (I wonder) Hoe kan dat nou? click to hear 2 3 4 How can that be? How is it possible? (frustrated, exasperated, angry) Hoe is 't mogelijk? click to hear 2 3 4 5 6 How is it possible? How can it be? ‑>> Hoe kan 't gebeuren? click to hear 2 [How is it possible that things like that happen?] - How can it be? Hoe bestaat 't! click to hear 2 3 [How does it exist?] How can it be, how is it possible? Toen ik z'n fiets optilde begreep ik hoe hij zo hard kon rijden click to hear 2 3 4 When I picked up his bike I understood how he was able to ride that fast Hoe kan ik zo stom zijn? click to hear 2 3 How can I be that stupid? (anger about a mistake) Hoe kan iemand zoiets doen? click to hear How can someone do a thing like that? How is it possible for someone to do something awful like that? kunnen click to hear 'can,' being able, being possible

Hoe je happy leven kan click to hear 2 [How you can ...] How to live happily

Hoe maakt U het? click to hear How are you? (polite) Hoe gaat 't? click to hear How are you? (informal) Hoe is 't ermee? click to hear How are you? (informal) Hoe is 't click to hear 2 3 [How is it?] How are you? (informal) Hoe heet je? click to hear What's your name? (informal) ‑>> Hoe heet-ie ook-al-weer? click to hear 2 3 4 What's his name again? - I don't remember

Hoe gaat 't met je werk? click to hear How is your job? How is your work going? ‑>> Hoe gaat 't op je werk? click to hear How are things at work? Hoe is de koffie op je werk? click to hear How is the coffee at your job? Hoe gaat 't met je studie? click to hear How are your studies coming along? (at college or university) Hoe is 't? click to hear 2 3 [How is it?] How are you? (informal) Hoe is 't met je moeder? click to hear How is your mother? Hoe is 't op school? click to hear 2 How is it at school? (secondary school) Hoe is 't weer? click to hear 2 How is the weather? ‑>> Hoe is 't weer bij jou? click to hear How is the weather where you're at, at your place? Hoe doen je kinderen 't op school? click to hear How are your kids doing at school? Hoe zou 't met Kees zijn? click to hear 2 3 How would Kees be doing? (I haven't heard from him in a long time)

hoe laat? click to hear 2 3 [how late] what time? at what time? ‑>> Hoe laat is het? click to hear 2 What's the time? Hoe laat is het nou? click to hear 2 What time is it now? Weet jij hoe laat 't is? click to hear 2 Do you know what time it is? Do you have the time? Hoe laat moet je opstaan? click to  hear 2 'What time do you need to get up?' Hoe laat zal ik je wakker maken? click to hear 2 'What time shall I wake you up?' Hoe laat moet ik je wakker maken? click to hear 'What time should I wake you up?' Hoe laat gaat de volgende trein? click to hear 2 What time [goes] is the next train? Kun je me zeggen hoe laat het begint? click to hear 2 3 Could you tell me what time it starts?

Hoe duur is 't? click to hear 2 3 [How expensive is it?] What's the price? ‑>> Hoe duur is dit? click to hear What's the price of this item? Hoe lang? click to hear 2 3 1. How long? 2. How tall? Hoe lang ben je? click to hear How tall are you? What is your height? Hoe lang duurt 't? click to hear 2 How long is it going to take? Hoe lang zal 't duren? click to hear 2 3 How long will it take? ‑>> Hoe lang nog? click to hear [How long still?] How much longer? Hoe lang nog voor we weer een overstroming krijgen? click to hear How much longer till [we get] there is [again a] another flood? Hoe zwaar? click to hear How heavy?
Hoe vaak? click to hear 2 How often?
Hoe veel? click to hear How much? // How many? ‑>> Hoeveel kost dit? click to hear How much does this item cost? What's the price of this item? Asking for the bill in a restaurant, you could say:
Hoeveel is de schade? click to hear ['What's the damage?'] - 'How far does that set me back?' (jocular) Hoeveel tijd is er nog? click to hear 2 3 How much time is [there still] left? Hoeveel tijd er is verstreken click to hear 2 3 How much time has passed, how long ago it is Je weet hoe veel 't voor 'm betekent click to hear You know how much it means to him (de) hoeveelheid click to hear amount
  plural:  hoeveelheden click to hear 2 ‑>>
Hoe weinig we weten click to hear 2 How little we know, our knowledge is limited Hoe weinig tijd er is voor mezelf click to hear 2 How little time there is to myself Hoe ver? click to hear How far? ‑>>
Hoe ver is het? click to hear How far is it? Hoe hard gaat 't regenen? click to hear [How hard is it going to rain?] How heavy will the rainfall be? Hoe oud ben je? click to hear 2 3 How old are you? What's your age? ‑>> Hoe oud ben je geworden? click to hear 2 How old are you now? - Birthday question Hoe groter geest, hoe groter beest click to hear 2 3 4 (saying) 'The greater the mind, the more like a beast' - great intellects often behave badly

Voel hoe zacht de stof is! click to hear 2 3 Feel how soft the fabric is!

Hoe voel je je? click to hear 2 3 How do you feel? ‑>>

aflopen click to hear stories or events ending ‑>> Hoe zal 't aflopen? click to
  hear How will it to end? Hoe is 't afgelopen? click to hear How did it end? Ik wil weten hoe 't afloopt click to hear 2 I want to know how it (usually a story) will end Ik ben benieuwd hoe 't afloopt click to hear 2 3 I'm curious how it's going to end

Hoe kom je d'r bij? click to hear 2 [How did you come to, arrive at that (strange idea)] - What makes you think that, gave you that strange idea? Hoe ben je erachter gekomen? click to hear 2 [How did you get behind it?] - How did you find (it) out?

Hoe bedoel je? click to hear 2 3 [How] What do you mean? Hoezo click to hear 2 3 How so? What do you mean?

Ik vraag me af hoe het komt click to hear 2 I wonder [how] why it [comes] is

hoewel click to hear although
Hoewel de proef mislukte, hebben we toch veel geleerd click to hear Although the experiment failed, we still learned a lot Hoewel het regende, ging hij toch zonder jas naar buiten click to hear 2 Although it was raining, he still went out without a coat

'Wie' = Who

'Wie' click to hear 2 is 'who'

Wie heeft gewonnen? click to hear
Wie heeft er gewonnen? click to hear Who has won?
('er' click to hear 2 is a somewhat meaningless insert that sometimes can be left out
‑>>)
Wie heeft de wedstrijd gewonnen? click to hear Who has won the match, the game? Wie heeft de verkiezingen gewonnen? click to hear Who has won the elections? Ik ben benieuwd wie er gaat winnen click to hear 2 3 4 I'm curious, I wonder who's going to win Wie heeft hier de leiding? click to hear
Wie heeft er hier de leiding? click to hear Who's in charge here? Wie heeft je dat verteld? click to hear 2 Who told you (singular) that? Wie heeft jullie dat verteld? click to hear 2 Who told you (plural) that? Wie zegt dat 't gaat regenen? click to hear Who says it's going to rain? Wie zal dat betalen? click to hear 2 Who'll pay for that? "Wie is de mooiste in het land?" click to hear 'Who is the prettiest in the land?' "Sneeuwwitje is de mooiste in het land." click to hear 'Snow White is the prettiest in the land.' ‑>>

Wie is er aan de beurt? click to hear 2 Whose turn is it? Who is on? Who's next? Wie is aan zet? click to hear 2 3 4 Whose turn is it? Whose move is it? - in chess

Wie doet er mee? click to hear 2 3 Who'll join us (in an activity)? Who's in? Wie gaat er mee? click to hear 2 3 Who'll come (along) with us? Who'll join us?

Wie ben jij? click to hear Who are you? Wie is hij? click to hear 2 Who is he? Ik weet niet wie hij is click to hear I don't know who he is Weet jij wie hij is? click to hear Do you know who he is? Ik weet niet wie 't geweest kan zijn click to hear 2 I don't know who it could have been Wie bèn ik? click to hear 2 Who am I? (wondering about your identity, maybe after memory loss or after you've done something unexpected) Wie ben ìk? click to hear Who am I? (not pretending to be an authority, "I'm just a simple guy")

Met wie spreek ik? click to hear 2 Who am I talking to? Who's calling? (mystery caller on the telephone) Wie belde er? click to hear
Wie belde d'r? click to hear 2 3 Who called? (Inserting the D makes for easier pronunciation than E-E) Met wie heb je gegeten? click to hear 2 With whom have you eaten? Who were at your table? Met wie heb ik het genoegen? click to hear Whom do I have the pleasure (of meeting)? - an extremely formal way of asking someone's name ‑>>

Wie wil de tafel dekken? click to hear 2 Who's going to set the table? Wie ruimt de tafel af? click to hear 2 Who'll clear the table? Wie helpt er met de afwas? click to hear 2 3 4 Who'll help doing the dishes?

Wie heeft je geholpen? click to hear 'who has helped you, who attended to you?' Wie heeft jullie opgehaald? click to hear 2 Who came by to pick you up? (for instance at a train station or airport) Wie heeft U thuisgebracht? click to hear 2 1. Who has brought ('delivered') you home?
2.Who did you bring to their home?)

Wie spreekt er voor de slachtoffers? click to hear 2 3 Who speaks for the victims? (who voices their viewpoint) Zo zie je maar wie echt je vrienden zijn click to hear This [way you see] shows who your real friends are Wie kun je nog vertrouwen? click to hear 2 3 Who can you still trust?

Wie weet de weg? click to hear Who knows the way? (to get us where we want to go) ‑>> - more Wie weet er nog een mop? click to hear [Who knows another joke?] - Who has a joke to tell? ‑>> Wie weet er nòg een mop? click to hear 2 [Who knows another joke?] - Who has another joke to tell? (people have been cracking jokes for a while) - see also Disambiguation: Nog

Wie dan ook click to hear 2 Whoever, any person who Wie je ook bent click to hear Whoever you are (equality)

Dutch 'Wie?' is sometimes better translated as 'Those who' or 'They who'
Wie weet? click to hear 2 3 Who knows? - Usually this means 'something unexpected may happen or be the explanation' Wie 't weet mag 't zeggen click to hear 2 Those who know may speak up - sometimes it's answering a rhetorical question and it means "it's anybody's guess" Wie zwijgt stemt toe click to hear 2 3 Those who remain silent give consent, are complicit Wie niet waagt, die niet wint click to hear 2 (saying) ['He who doesn't take risks is not going to [win] gain'] - 'no risk, no gain'
The English equivalant is a positive statement: 'He who dares, wins' (the motto of the British Army Special Forces unit SAS)
Wie niet sterk is moet slim zijn click to hear (saying) ['Those who are not strong (powerful) ...'] - 'If you're not strong you have to be clever' Wie met pek omgaat wordt ermee besmet click to hear 2 3 4 (saying) [He who handles, deals with pitch gets contaminated by it] - He who touches pitch will be defiled - dealing with evil will easily change you for the worse Wie schrijft, die blijft click to hear ['He who writes, stays (in the game)'] - the player who records the scores will not let himself be eliminated - and also said about authors

Wie zonder zonden is, werpe de eerste steen click to hear 'Let him who is without sin throw the first stone' (John 8:7)
Jesus addressing the people who want to stone an adulterous woman
('werpe' is an old-fashioned imperative)
Wie niet met Mij is, is tegen Mij click to hear 2 3 4 He that is not with me is against me (Matthew 12:30 and Luke 9:50) Wie niet tegen U is, is met U click to hear 2 3 He that is not against us is for us A modern Bible translation has this as:
Wie niet tegen ons is, is voor ons click to hear 2 3 Whoever is not against You is for You

English 'who' is sometimes found at the start of sub-sentences that further describe a person mentioned before - that is usually said as die click to hear in Dutch, or occasionally as dat click to hear for persons described by a 'het'-word - more
De vrouw die het bedacht had click to hear 2 The woman who had thought it up De mensen die naast ons wonen click to hear The people [who/that live] next door [to us] De man die dat zei click to hear 2 3 The man who said that Het meisje dat dat zei click to hear 2 3 The girl who said that

'Welk / Welke' = Which

welk click to hear 2 / welke click to hear 2 (welk / welke click to hear 2) is 'which'

welke boom? click to hear 2 which tree?
welk huis? click to hear 2 3 which house?
welke auto? click to hear which car?
welke auto's? click to hear 2 3 which cars?
(Adjectives usually get an -E ending, except 'het' words in the singular after 'een,' 'geen'  or no article - more - 2)

Welke dag komt je het beste uit? click to hear [Which] What day would suit you best? Welke kant op? click to hear 2 Which way? Which direction? Je kunt wel zien uit welke hoek de wind waait click to hear 2 (saying) ['You can see from which corner the wind is blowing'] - 'You can see where that's coming from, what's behind it' onder welke omstandigheden click to hear 2 under which circumstances

welke dan ook click to hear 2 3 'whichever' - any Neem welke dan ook click to hear Take any, it doesn't matter which one op welke manier dan ook click to hear in whatever way possible, in any manner

'Wanneer' = When

Both English 'if' and 'when' (stating a condition) are 'als' click to hear in Dutch.
't IJzer smeden als het heet is click to hear 2 3 ["smith," forge] - Work the iron when it's hot Als ik jou was zou ik niet gaan click to hear If I were you I wouldn't go many more examples

Instead of 'als' meaning 'when, at the time that' or 'when, in case that' you can also say 'wanneer' click to hear - but it is a bit formal and old-fashioned. It could be used in dramatic statements, or when the poet needs a second syllable.
Wanneer de pillen niet meer helpen click to hear 2 3 When the pills don't work anymore Wanneer Nederland verdwijnt ... click to hear 2 3 When Holland disappears, goes ... Wanneer die zon weer verkleurt tot oranje ... click to hear When that sun again changes color to orange ...

'When' is often a question word, 'at what time?' This is 'wanneer' click to hear in Dutch. As a child I thought this was spelled 'waarneer'
Keep in mind that in questions, the verb comes before the subject - more

Wanneer kom je terug? click to hear When are you coming back? Wanneer kom je thuis? click to hear When will you be back home? Wanneer ben je jarig? click to hear When is your birthday? [when are you year-y?] Wanneer is hij jarig? click to hear When is his birthday? ‑>> Wanneer is 't klaar? click to hear 2 3 When will it be ready? Wanneer heb je gegeten? click to hear 2 When, what time have you eaten? Wanneer heb je voor 't laatst gegeten? click to hear 2 What time have you (eaten for the last time) last eaten? Wanneer heb je voor het laatst een brief geschreven? click to hear When was the last time you've written a letter? Wanneer gaat de volgende trein? click to hear 2 3 What time does the next train (go) leave? Kunt U mij zeggen wanneer de laatste trein gaat? click to hear 2 3 4 Could you please tell me what time the last train leaves? Weet je al wanneer? click to hear 2 Do you already know when? Weet je al wanneer 't gaat gebeuren? click to hear 2 3 Do you already know when it's going to happen? Wanneer anders? click to hear 2 3 At what other time? ~If not now/then, when?

When it's about hours, you can as well say 'what time?' / hoe laat? click to hear 2 3 - >> instead of 'when?'/wanneer?
Hoe laat gaat de volgende trein? click to hear 2 What time [goes] is the next train?

When? / wanneer? can also mean 'under what conditions, in which situation:'
Wanneer mag je liegen? click to hear 2 3 4 When [are you] is it allowed to lie, tell untruths? ‑>> (onder welke omstandigheden click to hear 2 under which circumstances)

'When' can also point to a time in the past at which something happened. That 'when' is 'toen' click to hear 2 3 in Dutch.
We gingen naar huis toen het donker werd click to hear 2 We went home when it got dark Toen ik de sterren zag begreep ik ... click to hear 2 3 When I saw the stars I understood ... More on the 'toen' disambiguation page.

'Wat' = What and 'Waar' = Where

wat click to hear what
Wat is Uw naam? click to hear 2 What is your name? (polite 'you') Wat wil je drinken? click to hear 2 What would you like to drink? many more examples

waar click to hear where
Waar komt die rotzooi toch vandaan? click to hear 2 3 Where in the world does all that garbage come from? Waar moet dat heen, hoe zal dat gaan, waar komt die rotzooi toch vandaan? click to hear 2 3 ~ Where [can it possibly go] is it going, how will it go, where in heaven's name does all that garbage come from? many more examples

waarom click to hear 2 [What for?] Why?
Ik begrijp niet waarom click to hear 2 3 I don't understand why more waarom? - 2

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Gij zult niet stelen click to hear 'Thou shalt not steal'