Asking "which" (welke, welk)
When you want to ask for a specific choice (meaning "which"), Dutch uses either welke or welk. Just like the words for this and that, your choice depends on the gender of the noun you are asking about.
Welke
Use welke for all singular de-words, and for all plural nouns.
| Which bus are you taking? | Welke bus neem je? |
| Which color do you want? | Welke kleur wilt u? |
| Which size are you looking for? | Welke maat zoeken jullie? |
Welk
Use welk for singular het-words.
| Which book are you taking? | Welk boek neem je? |
| Which station is this? | Welk station is dit? |
| Which ticket are you buying? | Welk kaartje koop je? |
Choosing and Preferences
When asking someone to make a choice, you will often use the verb kiezen (to choose).
| Which restaurant are you choosing? | Welk restaurant kiezen jullie? |
To express that you "prefer" something, Dutch generally doesn't use a dedicated verb. Instead, you use the adverb liever (rather) alongside a regular verb. Think of it as saying you would "rather" have or do something.
| I prefer to drink coffee. | Ik drink liever koffie. |
| Which coat do you prefer? | Welke jas heb je liever? |
Precies (exactly)
When you need specific details to narrow down a choice or understand a situation, you can add precies (exactly) to your questions. It often sits toward the end of the sentence.
| What are you looking for exactly? | Wat zoeken jullie precies? |
| Which problem do they have exactly? | Welk probleem hebben ze precies? |
