ELONIO

That and those (die, dat)

That and those (die, dat)

To point out objects that are farther away, the Dutch words for "that" and "those" depend on the noun's gender and number.

Dat (that)

Use dat (that) for singular het-words.

That window is big.
Dat raam is groot.

Die (that / those)

Use die (that) for singular de-words.

We are buying that sofa.
We kopen die bank.

Like deze, use die (those) for all plural nouns, whether they are de or het words.

Those tables are standing there.
Die tafels staan daar.

Describing room layouts

When describing where objects are placed, Dutch rarely uses the verb zijn (to be). Instead, objects stand, hang, or sit.

  • staan (to stand): Used for objects that are upright or resting on a base or legs, such as a lamp, chair, or cabinet.
  • hangen (to hang): Used for objects suspended on a wall, like a painting.
  • zitten (to sit): Used for people or animals resting on a surface.
That lamp is standing next to the window.
Die lamp staat naast het raam.
That painting is hanging there.
Dat schilderij hangt daar.
That dog is sitting on the sofa.
Die hond zit op de bank.

You can mix die and dat in the same sentence to contrast different objects:

That window is small, but that cabinet is big.
Dat raam is klein, maar die kast is groot.
That chair stands next to that window.
Die stoel staat naast dat raam.
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