Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Wie drinkt water?
Why is there no article before water?
In Dutch, when you talk about something in a general or uncountable sense (like water, milk, sand), you usually leave out the article. Saying “water” here means “water in general,” not “the water” or “a glass of water.” If you wanted to refer to specific water, you could say “het water” (“the water”) or “een glas water” (“a glass of water”).
Why is the verb drinkt placed immediately after wie instead of after the subject?
Dutch questions that start with a question word (who, what, where, etc.) use verb–subject inversion. That means the finite verb (drinkt) comes right after the question word (wie), then the subject follows. So the order is: Question Word + Verb + Subject + (Rest) → Wie drinkt water?
What does wie mean, and can it refer to more than one person?
Wie simply means “who.” It doesn’t carry a singular/plural distinction by itself. You can ask “Wie daar?” and expect one answer (singular) or multiple answers (plural). If you know you want to ask about a group, you might use a different construction (e.g. “Welke mensen drinken water?” – “Which people drink water?”), but wie alone is flexible.
Why is it drinkt (with a -t) and not drink or drinken?
Dutch verbs in the present tense change depending on the subject:
- Ik drink (I drink)
- Jij drinkt / U drinkt (you drink)
- Hij/Zij/Het drinkt (he/she/it drinks)
- Wij/Jullie/Zij drinken (we/you all/they drink)
Since wie is treated like hij/zij/het (third person singular) by default, you add -t, giving drinkt.
How would I answer this question if someone asked me?
When you reply, you switch back to statement word order: subject first, then verb. For example:
- Ik drink water. (“I drink water.”)
You do not invert the order for a regular answer.
Is Wie drinkt water? a yes/no question or another type of question?
It’s an open question (W-question) because it begins with wie (“who”). You’re asking for information (a person’s identity), not just confirmation. Yes/no questions in Dutch start with the verb: “Drinkt zij water?”
How do you pronounce Wie drinkt water?
- Wie sounds like the English word “vee” (/vi:/).
- drinkt is pronounced roughly like “drinkt,” with a short “i” as in “sit,” and a final “t.”
- water is “VAH-ter,” with the “a” as in “father.”
Altogether: “vee drinkt VAH-ter?”