Dat is het huis waarin ik woon.

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Breakdown of Dat is het huis waarin ik woon.

• zijn: to be
• het huis: the house
• wonen: to live

Questions & Answers about Dat is het huis waarin ik woon.

What is the function of waarin in this sentence?

Waardin is a relative pronoun formed from waar (“where”) + in, meaning “in which.” It refers back to huis and introduces the subordinate clause waarin ik woon (“in which I live”).

Can I say Dat is het huis waar ik in woon instead of using waarin?

Yes. Splitting the relative pronoun is very common in spoken Dutch. You say Dat is het huis waar ik in woon, putting in after the verb. Both versions mean the same, but waarin is more concise and somewhat more formal.

Why does woon appear at the end of the clause?

In Dutch subordinate clauses, the finite verb moves to the very end. Here the clause is waarin ik woon: ik (subject) follows waarin, and woon (verb) closes the clause.

Why use Dat is rather than Dit is het huis waarin ik woon?

Dat (“that”) is neutral and refers to something a bit farther away or already mentioned. Dit (“this”) points to something very close or immediate. You could say Dit is het huis waarin ik woon if you were standing right in front of it, but Dat is is the default when merely identifying or talking about it.