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Breakdown of Het is de receptionist die om uw ID-kaart vraagt.
zijn
to be
het
it
om
for
vragen
to ask
uw
your
die
who
de ID-kaart
the ID card
de receptionist
the receptionist
Questions & Answers about Het is de receptionist die om uw ID-kaart vraagt.
What does the "Het is ... die ..." structure do?
It’s a cleft sentence that puts emphasis on the highlighted part, here de receptionist (as opposed to someone else). A neutral paraphrase is: De receptionist vraagt om uw ID-kaart.
Why is it "die" and not "dat"?
Because die is the relative pronoun for de-words and plurals. Receptionist is a de-word, so you use die. Use dat for het-words: e.g., het boek dat ik lees.
Why is the verb "vraagt" at the end?
The clause after die is a relative (subordinate) clause, and in standard Dutch the finite verb goes to the end: die om uw ID-kaart vraagt. In the main clause it would be: De receptionist vraagt om uw ID-kaart.
What does "om" do in "vraagt om"?
With things you’re requesting, Dutch uses vragen om [iets] = “to ask for [something]”.
- Hij vraagt om water. (He asks for water.)
Contrast: vragen naar [iets] means “to ask about [something]”, i.e., inquire: Ze vraagt naar je adres.
With a person, you can add aan or put the person before: Hij vraagt (aan) u om uw ID-kaart / Hij vraagt u om uw ID-kaart.
Is “De receptionist vraagt uw ID-kaart” correct?
It’s not idiomatic. Prefer:
- De receptionist vraagt om uw ID-kaart. (asks for it)
- De receptionist vraagt u om uw ID-kaart. (asks you for it)
How formal is "uw"?
Very formal/polite. Pronoun pairs:
- Informal singular: je/jouw (your) → je/jouw ID-kaart
- Informal plural: jullie/jullie → jullie ID-kaarten
- Formal (sing. or pl.): u/uw → uw ID-kaart Modern style keeps u/uw lowercase; uppercase (U/Uw) is old-fashioned or used in very formal letters.
Why is it “de receptionist” and not just “receptionist”?
Here you’re pointing to a specific person, so you need the definite article: de receptionist. You can drop the article only in predicate-noun uses like Hij is receptionist (He is a receptionist).
Can I say “receptioniste” instead of “receptionist”?
Yes. Receptioniste specifically refers to a woman. Receptionist can refer to a man or be used gender-neutrally; many writers prefer the neutral receptionist unless gender is relevant.
What does “het” refer to in “Het is de receptionist …”?
Nothing concrete—it’s a dummy “it,” just like English “It’s the receptionist who …”. You can’t drop it in this cleft construction.
Do I need a comma before “die”?
No. This is a restrictive relative clause (it defines who it is), so no comma: Het is de receptionist die …. A comma would suggest a nonrestrictive aside, which doesn’t fit a cleft.
Is “ID-kaart” the best spelling? Are there alternatives?
Yes, ID-kaart (with a hyphen) is standard and widely used. A more formal full form is identiteitskaart. Avoid ID kaart (no hyphen) and IDkaart (no hyphen). Colloquially, people also say just ID.
How would I say this without the cleft?
Use a simple main clause: De receptionist vraagt om uw ID-kaart.
If you want extra formality: De receptionist verzoekt u uw ID-kaart te tonen.
Can I use “wie” instead of “die”?
Not here. Wie isn’t used with a stated antecedent. Use die after a specific noun: de receptionist die …. If you don’t name the person, you can say Degene die … or in general statements Wie …, ….
Is “die vraagt om uw ID-kaart” also possible word order?
In standard written Dutch, no—the verb should be clause-final: die om uw ID-kaart vraagt. Die vraagt om uw ID-kaart (verb-second in a relative clause) occurs in some spoken varieties/regions but is not standard.
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