Word order in relative and indirect-question clauses

Two more clause types follow the same word order as an ordinary subordinate clause: the relative clause, which adds information about a noun (de man die naast ons woont — the man who lives next door), and the indirect question, which reports a question instead of asking it (Ik weet niet waar hij woont — I don't know where he lives). In both, the finite verb travels to the end.

A relative clause opens with a relative pronoun (die, dat, wie or wat) that stands in for the noun it describes, and — because it is a subordinate clause — its finite verb goes to the end. Which pronoun you pick depends on the noun:

• Use die for a de-word and for any plural: de man die hier werkt (the man who works here), de kinderen die buiten spelen (the children who are playing outside).
• Use dat for a het-word: het huis dat te koop staat (the house that is for sale).

Whichever pronoun you choose, it opens the clause in place of the noun and everything else follows behind it, verb last: het boek dat ik gisteren gekocht heb (the book I bought yesterday).

The choice between die and dat is the same de/het split as the article, covered in full at relative pronouns die and dat.

An indirect question is a question tucked inside a bigger sentence, usually after phrases like Ik weet niet ... (I don't know ...) or Kun je me vertellen ... (Can you tell me ...). It also behaves like a subordinate clause, so the verb goes to the end — even though the same question asked directly would keep the verb near the front.

• A wh-question (with wie, wat, waar, wanneer, hoe, waarom) keeps its question word but sends the verb to the end: direct Waar woont hij? becomes indirect Ik weet niet waar hij woont.
• A yes/no question turns into an of-clause (whether/if): direct Komt ze? becomes indirect Ik vraag me af of ze komt. (I wonder whether she is coming.)
• A separable verb stays glued together at the end: Weet jij hoe laat de winkel opengaat? (Do you know what time the shop opens?)

See question words for the full set of wie/wat/waar forms.

As in any subordinate clause, several verbs gather at the end together. The finite verb sits next to the participle or infinitive: Ik weet niet wie dat gedaan heeft. (I don't know who did that.) Zij vroeg of ik haar kon helpen. (She asked whether I could help her.) The ordering inside that stack is the same as in the end verb cluster.

The trap is keeping the direct-question order after you tuck the question inside a sentence. A direct question inverts the verb and subject (Waar woont hij?), but an indirect question must not: Ik weet niet waar hij woont, never Ik weet niet waar woont hij. The same goes for relative clauses — de stad waar hij woont, not de stad waar woont hij. Whenever a clause starts with die/dat/wie/wat/waar/of, put the finite verb last.