Query Words: Hoe Wie Wat Waar Welke Wanneer

hoe how - wie 2 who
wat what - waar where
welk 2 / welke 2 which
wanneer 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 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

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

Hoe zeg je dat in het Nederlands? 2 How do you say that in Dutch? Weet jij hoe je 't moet zeggen? Do you know how to say it? Hoe zeg je dat precies? 2 How exactly do you say that? What is the precise wording? Weet je hoe je het moet uitspreken? 2 Do you know how to pronounce it? Hoe zal ik het doen? 2 3 How shall I do it? Hoe zal ik het zeggen? 2 3 How shall I say it? Hoe zal ik het vertalen? 2 How shall I translate it?

Hoe kan dat? 2 How can that be? How is it possible? (I wonder) Hoe kan dat nou? 2 3 4 How can that be? How is it possible? (frustrated, exasperated, angry) Hoe is 't mogelijk? 2 3 4 5 6 How is it possible? How can it be? ‑>> Hoe kan 't gebeuren? 2 [How is it possible that things like that happen?] - How can it be? Hoe bestaat 't! 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 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? 2 3 How can I be that stupid? (anger about a mistake) Hoe kan iemand zoiets doen? How can someone do a thing like that? How is it possible for someone to do something awful like that? kunnen 'can,' being able, being possible

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hoe kom je d'r bij? 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? 2 [How did you get behind it?] - How did you find (it) out?

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

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

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

'Wie' = Who

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wie weet de weg? Who knows the way? (to get us where we want to go) ‑>> - more Wie weet er nog een mop? [Who knows another joke?] - Who has a joke to tell? ‑>> Wie weet er nòg een mop? 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 2 Whoever, any person who Wie je ook bent Whoever you are (equality)

Dutch 'Wie?' is sometimes better translated as 'Those who' or 'They who'
Wie weet? 2 3 Who knows? - Usually this means 'something unexpected may happen or be the explanation' Wie 't weet mag 't zeggen 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 2 3 Those who remain silent give consent, are complicit Wie niet waagt, die niet wint 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 (saying) ['Those who are not strong (powerful) ...'] - 'If you're not strong you have to be clever' Wie met pek omgaat wordt ermee besmet 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 ['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 '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 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 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 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 in Dutch, or occasionally as dat for persons described by a 'het'-word - more
De vrouw die het bedacht had 2 The woman who had thought it up De mensen die naast ons wonen The people [who/that live] next door [to us] De man die dat zei 2 3 The man who said that Het meisje dat dat zei 2 3 The girl who said that

'Welk / Welke' = Which

welke boom? 2	which tree?
welk huis? 2 3	which house?
welke auto?	which car?
welke auto's? 2 3	which cars?

Welke dag komt je het beste uit? [Which] What day would suit you best? Welke kant op? 2 Which way? Which direction? Je kunt wel zien uit welke hoek de wind waait 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 2 under which circumstances

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

'Wanneer' = When

'als'

Instead of 'als' meaning 'when, at the time that' or 'when, in case that' you can also say 'wanneer' - 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 2 3 When the pills don't work anymore Wanneer Nederland verdwijnt ... 2 3 When Holland disappears, goes ... Wanneer die zon weer verkleurt tot oranje ... When that sun again changes color to orange ...

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

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

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

'Wat' = What and 'Waar' = Where

waar where
Waar komt die rotzooi toch vandaan? 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? 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 2 [What for?] Why?
Ik begrijp niet waarom 2 3 I don't understand why more waarom? - 2

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