degene die, datgene wat, hetgeen and bare wie

A Dutch relative clause can identify a person or thing without a preceding noun such as persoon or zaak: compare Degene die de sleutel heeft, sluit af. (The person who has the key locks up.), Datgene wat ontbreekt, staat op de lijst. (What is missing is on the list.), and Wie bezwaar heeft, kan reageren. (Anyone who objects may respond.). Each complete expression can fill a noun-like role in the main clause.

Use (die)gene die for people, datgene wat or dat wat for things or content, and bare wie especially for a general condition applying to people. Formal hetgeen can stand for a thing, content, or a preceding statement.

Degene is the ordinary demonstrative form for a person; diegene is more emphatic. A following restrictive relative clause normally begins with die. The clause supplies the description that identifies or selects the person: Ik stuur het dossier naar degene die de zaak behandelt. (I will send the file to the person handling the case.).

Write the plural -n when the independent form refers to more than one person: degenen and diegenen. The relative clause may make the group general, as in a notice, or identify a contextually relevant group. The singular and plural verb forms still follow the intended number.

Use datgene wat or the shorter dat wat when the missing noun would denote a thing, content, or abstract matter: Dat wat in het contract staat, blijft geldig. (What is in the contract remains valid.) and We onderzoeken datgene wat gisteren is gemeld. (We are investigating what was reported yesterday.). Datgene is singular and is followed by wat in this productive pattern.

The entire unit can be the subject or object of the main clause. In Datgene wat ontbreekt, komt morgen, it is the subject of komt. In We bestellen datgene wat ontbreekt, it is the object of bestellen. The relative clause itself keeps dependent-clause word order.

Hetgeen belongs to formal language and is often replaced by wat or a clearer noun phrase in speech and neutral writing. With no expressed antecedent, it can mean ‘that which’: Hetgeen tijdens de controle ontbrak, is inmiddels aangevuld. (What was missing during the inspection has now been supplied.). In that use it is comparable to datgene wat.

Formal hetgeen can also refer back to a whole preceding statement: De aanvraag bevatte geen handtekening, hetgeen tot vertraging leidde. (The application contained no signature, which led to a delay.). In neutral prose, comma + wat is usually less ceremonious. This article owns both recognition uses of hetgeen; the relative-wat page only points here.

Bare relative wie contains its own human antecedent. It is especially common in rules, instructions, and general statements: Wie de training afrondt, ontvangt een certificaat. (Anyone who completes the training receives a certificate.). It can also form an object: De organisatie helpt wie geen netwerk heeft. (The organisation helps anyone who has no network.).

As a practical choice, use degene die when you are singling out a particular person from the context, and bare wie when a condition applies to anyone who meets it. This is a strong default, not an absolute semantic ban: reference works also attest generic (de)gene die and contextually specific bare wie.

• Use degene die for a person selected by the following description; use diegene die when you want extra pointing emphasis.
• Use degenen die or diegenen die for more than one person, with written plural -n.
• Use datgene wat or dat wat for a thing, content, or abstract matter without a noun antecedent.
• Recognise and reserve hetgeen for formal prose; in neutral language, wat or an explicit noun phrase is usually easier.
• Use bare wie for a person-based condition that generally applies to anyone who meets it.

• Do not omit plural -n in independent degenen and diegenen when they refer to several people.
• Use die after (die)gene(n) in the ordinary pattern, not wie: degene die het formulier tekende.
• Use wat after datgene in the productive pattern: datgene wat is afgesproken.
• Do not treat hetgeen as the neutral default for ‘what’; its register is formal and can sound ceremonial.
• Do not present the degene die versus bare wie contrast as exceptionless; it is a useful reference tendency.

Review ordinary relative die and dat, demonstratives used as replacements, and indefinite people and things. The page on sommige, beide, and their person forms covers related noun-like expressions.