"Whoever" and "whatever"
To say "whoever" or "whatever" in Dutch, you can combine the word al (all) with wie (who) or wat (what). This creates the universal inclusive pronouns al wie and al wat. These phrases are especially common in formal and legal texts, such as a last will and testament (het testament).
Because they introduce a relative clause, al wie and al wat push the conjugated verb to the end of their clause. Let's look at how al wie (whoever) is used alongside the verb erven (to inherit):
| The will determines that whoever is family inherits. | Het testament bepaalt dat al wie familie is, erft. |
You will often see al wat (whatever) paired with formal verbs like nalaten (to bequeath or leave behind) and toekomen aan (to fall to or accrue to). Notice that when a sentence starts with an al wie or al wat clause, the verb of the main clause immediately follows it, thanks to the verb-second rule:
| Whatever the man bequeaths falls to his son. | Al wat de man nalaat, komt toe aan zijn zoon. |
Estates and beneficiaries
When navigating legal documents, you will encounter specific terminology for the assets left behind, such as de nalatenschap (the estate or inheritance):
| Whoever inherits the estate must pay the tax. | Al wie de nalatenschap erft, moet de belasting betalen. |
You will also see specific terms for the people involved. If you are the rightful recipient in a will, you might be referred to as rechtmatig (rightful), de begunstigde (the beneficiary), or de erfgenaam (the heir):
| The rightful beneficiary gets whatever lies in the house. | De rechtmatige begunstigde krijgt al wat in het huis ligt. |
| The only heir inherits all the money from the father. | De enige erfgenaam erft al het geld van de vader. |