welke, hetwelk and preposition + welke in official Dutch
How to recognise formal relative welke and related forms, and why ordinary writing normally uses die, dat, or a waar-form.
Official and legal texts still use relative welke: in De bepaling volgens welke u bezwaar kunt maken, is gewijzigd. (The provision under which you can object has changed.), welke is not a question word. It links de bepaling to the relative clause.
How do you decode formal relative welke?
Find the antecedent, the word or clause being referred to, and decide whether welke stands alone or determines a repeated noun. Standalone welke can replace die after an explicit de-antecedent or plural, while ordinary writing normally uses die, dat, or a waar-form.
- Find the antecedent before the relative clause: de regeling in de regeling welke geldt.
- Check the form. Standalone welke points back by itself; non-independent welk(e) introduces a repeated or summarising noun such as welke regeling.
- For your own ordinary text, replace standalone welke with die, use dat after a singular het-word, and use a relative waar-form where one exists.
| Antecedent | Formal form you may read | Neutral production choice |
|---|---|---|
| singular de-word | de vergunning welke gisteren is verleend | de vergunning die gisteren is verleend |
| plural noun | de voorwaarden welke blijven gelden | de voorwaarden die blijven gelden |
| singular het-word | standalone welke is not standard here | het besluit dat gisteren is genomen |
| thing after a preposition with a normal waar-form | de regel in welke de uitzondering staat | de regel waarin de uitzondering staat |
| thing after a preposition without a usable waar-form | de norm volgens welke de prijs wordt berekend | keep the formal form or rewrite, for example de norm die bepaalt hoe ... |
The hard restriction concerns standalone welke: het besluit welke geldt is incorrect in standard Dutch. Write het besluit dat geldt. Plural removes the neuter singular contrast, so de besluiten welke gelden is formally possible, although die remains the neutral choice.
When does preposition + welke remain useful?
Dutch normally replaces preposition + relative pronoun for a thing with waar + preposition: de maatregel waarop het bezwaar betrekking heeft. Some prepositions do not form a usable pronominal adverb. Official texts then retain forms such as krachtens welke and volgens welke, or they rewrite the sentence.
| Formal wording | How to process or rewrite it |
|---|---|
| de overeenkomst krachtens welke de vergoeding wordt betaald | the agreement under which payment is made; rewrite with op grond waarvan if that preserves the meaning |
| de methode volgens welke de uitslag wordt berekend | the method according to which the result is calculated; a clause with die bepaalt hoe can be clearer |
| de documenten zonder welke de aanvraag onvolledig is | formal zonder welke; waarzonder exists and is more usual in Belgium than in the Netherlands |
For a person, formal preposition + welke can usually become preposition + wie: personen tegen wie een procedure loopt. The page on relative pronouns with a preposition covers that productive system.
What does welk(e) + a repeated noun do?
Non-independent relative welk(e) determines a noun that repeats or summarises the antecedent: De regeling is ingetrokken, welke regeling veel klachten had veroorzaakt. (The scheme was withdrawn; that scheme had caused many complaints.). This pattern belongs to formal non-restrictive relatives and can remove ambiguity by naming the antecedent again.
| Repeated noun | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| singular neuter noun | welk | Het besluit is herzien, welk besluit morgen wordt gepubliceerd. |
| singular common-gender noun or any plural | welke | De regeling is herzien, welke regeling morgen wordt gepubliceerd. |
This determiner pattern does not contradict the ban on standalone welke after a singular het-word. In welk besluit, welk belongs to the newly stated noun phrase; it is not a standalone substitute for dat.
How should you read hetwelk, dewelke, and zulks?
| Form | Status and antecedent | Neutral reading or replacement |
|---|---|---|
| hetwelk | archaic relative for an explicit singular neuter noun or for a whole preceding clause | usually dat for the noun or wat for the preceding clause |
| dewelke | non-standard form; it is not the current formal counterpart of die | if encountered, read it from context as welke/die; do not produce it |
| zulks | formal archaic demonstrative that refers backwards; it is not a relative pronoun | usually dat, dit, or zoiets |
When hetwelk comments on a complete preceding clause, relative wat owns the modern pattern. Formal hetgeen belongs to relatives without a separate noun; this page only points to it.
When to use these forms
- Recognise standalone welke as a formal counterpart of die after a de-word or plural.
- Retain preposition + welke when an official text needs a preposition with no usable waar-form, or rewrite the sentence.
- Recognise non-independent welk(e) + noun as a formal way to repeat or summarise an antecedent.
- Decode hetwelk and zulks, but prefer modern alternatives in your own ordinary writing.
- Use die, dat, and productive waar-forms for clear neutral Dutch.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not write standalone welke after a singular het-word: use het formulier dat, not het formulier welke.
- Do not treat every welke as interrogative. In de norm volgens welke ..., it introduces a relative clause.
- Do not invent a waar-form such as waarkrachtens. Keep krachtens welke or rewrite with op grond waarvan.
- Do not adopt dewelke from an old template; current standard Dutch uses another form.
See also
Review ordinary relative die and dat, relative clauses with a preposition, and interrogative welke and wat voor. Keep these relative forms separate from question pronouns.
- Which neutral replacement fits *de organisatie welke het besluit uitvoert*?
- *de organisatie dat*
- *de organisatie die*
- *de organisatie wat*
- *de organisatie hetwelk*
Standalone formal *welke* can refer to a singular *de*-word. Neutral Dutch replaces it with *die*: *de organisatie die ...*
- Which relative form is correct in neutral Dutch after singular *het besluit*?
- *het besluit welke geldt*
- *het besluit die geldt*
- *het besluit dat geldt*
- *het besluit dewelke geldt*
A singular *het*-word takes *dat* in the neutral relative pattern. Standalone *welke* cannot refer to it.
- Why can official Dutch use *de norm volgens welke de toeslag wordt berekend*?
- Because *welke* asks a question
- Because *volgens* has no usable relative *waar*-form here
- Because *norm* is a singular *het*-word
- Because every preposition requires *welke*
Some prepositions, including *volgens*, do not form a usable pronominal adverb. Formal *volgens welke* remains available, although a rewrite may be clearer.
- Complete the formal repeated-noun pattern: *Het besluit is herzien, ___ besluit morgen wordt gepubliceerd.*
- *welke*
- *welk*
- *die*
- *dewelke*
In non-independent *welk(e) + noun*, a singular neuter noun takes *welk*: *welk besluit*. This differs from standalone relative *welke*.
- Which statement correctly describes the receptive-only forms?
- *Dewelke* is the required standard form after every *de*-word.
- *Zulks* is a modern relative pronoun for people.
- *Hetwelk* is archaic, *dewelke* is non-standard, and *zulks* is an archaic backward-pointing demonstrative.
- All three are neutral alternatives to *die*.
These forms belong to recognition, not ordinary production: *hetwelk* is archaic, *dewelke* is not standard Dutch, and *zulks* is a formal archaic demonstrative rather than a relative pronoun.
Test yourself
Question 1 of 5
Which neutral replacement fits de organisatie welke het besluit uitvoert?