Emphasizing with 'Het was'
To highlight exactly who or what was responsible for a past action, use a cleft sentence. Start with Het was (It was), followed by the person or thing you are emphasizing.
| It was the queen who founded the empire. | Het was de koningin die het rijk stichtte. |
Choosing 'die' or 'dat'
Connect that person or thing to the rest of the sentence using a relative pronoun: die or dat (who/that).
- Use die for de-words (including all people) and plural nouns.
- Use dat for singular het-words.
| It was the hero who saved the leader. | Het was de held die de leider redde. |
| It was this book that has been published. | Het was dit boek dat is gepubliceerd. |
Word order
The clause starting with die or dat is a dependent clause, which pushes the conjugated verb to the end.
| It was the writer who published the masterpiece. | Het was de schrijver die het meesterwerk publiceerde. |
If you have multiple verbs, they all go to the end.
| It was the leader who had to protect the empire. | Het was de leider die het rijk moest beschermen. |
Stating historical facts
Combine this structure with verbs like stichten (to found) and uitvinden (to invent) to state historical facts or answer trivia questions.
| It was the inventor who invented the first car. | Het was de uitvinder die de eerste auto uitvond. |
| It was the hero who founded the city. | Het was de held die de stad stichtte. |
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