Breakdown of Zij praten met de rechter die gisteren boos was.
zijn
to be
zij
they
met
with
praten
to talk
boos
angry
gisteren
yesterday
die
who / that (relative pronoun)
de rechter
the judge
Questions & Answers about Zij praten met de rechter die gisteren boos was.
Why do we use die here to mean 'who'?
Because rechter (judge) is a de-word (de rechter). In Dutch relative clauses, we use die to point back to de-words and plural words, and dat to point back to het-words. It does not matter if the word is a person or a thing!
Can I use wie instead of die since it refers to a person?
Not in this sentence. English distinguishes between 'who' for people and 'that' for things, but Dutch usually relies on the de and het rules. You only use wie as a relative pronoun if it comes directly after a preposition, for example: de rechter met wie ik praat (the judge with whom I talk).
Why is the verb was at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase die gisteren boos was is a relative clause, which acts like a subclause because it adds extra information about the judge. In Dutch subclauses, the conjugated verb gets pushed all the way to the end.
How can I tell if Zij means 'She' or 'They'?
By looking at the verb attached to it. Here, the verb is praten, which is the plural form. If the sentence was about 'she', the verb would be singular: Zij praat.
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