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Wat is dit?

What is this?

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Phrase in 30 Seconds

The essential Dutch phrase for identifying unknown objects in any daily situation.

  • Means: 'What is this?' used to identify an object near the speaker.
  • Used in: Markets, restaurants, or when finding something mysterious at home.
  • Don't confuse: Use 'Wie is dit?' for people; 'Wat' is strictly for things.
🧐 + 📦 = 'Wat is dit?'

Erklärung auf deinem Niveau:

This is a very simple way to ask about things. 'Wat' means 'what', 'is' means 'is', and 'dit' means 'this'. You use it when you point at an object you don't know. It is one of the first questions you learn in Dutch.
At this level, you use 'Wat is dit?' to identify objects and start simple conversations. You understand that 'dit' is for things close to you and 'dat' is for things further away. You can also use it to ask about items on a menu or a receipt.
Intermediate learners use this phrase not just for objects, but to clarify situations. You might use it when someone gives you a task that isn't clear. You also begin to recognize the tone—knowing when it's a simple question and when it expresses slight confusion or surprise.
At the upper-intermediate level, you understand the idiomatic extensions of the phrase. You can use 'Wat is dit voor een...' to ask for specific classifications and recognize when the phrase is being used sarcastically to criticize a poorly executed piece of work or a chaotic situation.
Advanced learners analyze 'Wat is dit?' as a deictic expression where 'dit' serves as a pointer in both physical and discourse space. You understand how the addition of modal particles like 'nu' or 'weer' changes the pragmatic force of the question to signal exasperation or repetitive annoyance.
Near-native mastery involves using the phrase with perfect prosody to navigate complex social hierarchies. You can use it as a rhetorical device in debates to challenge the validity of an opponent's argument ('Wat is dit voor een logica?') or to subtly comment on cultural shifts by questioning the nature of new social phenomena.

Bedeutung

Asking about an object.

🌍

Kultureller Hintergrund

Dutch people value directness. Asking 'Wat is dit?' about food is seen as healthy curiosity, not a critique of the host's cooking. In Flanders, the phrase is the same, but the pronunciation of 'wat' might be softer, and 'dit' is often replaced by 'da' in casual speech. In Surinamese Dutch, the phrase remains standard, but the intonation is often more melodic and rhythmic. In meetings, 'Wat is dit?' is used to quickly clarify data points. It is part of the 'polder model' of open communication.

💡

Point and Ask

This is the fastest way to learn Dutch nouns. Point at everything and ask 'Wat is dit?'

⚠️

People vs. Things

Never use 'Wat' for people. It's a very common beginner mistake that can sound rude.

💡

Point and Ask

This is the fastest way to learn Dutch nouns. Point at everything and ask 'Wat is dit?'

⚠️

People vs. Things

Never use 'Wat' for people. It's a very common beginner mistake that can sound rude.

🎯

Add 'precies'

Adding 'precies' (exactly) makes you sound more fluent: 'Wat is dit precies?'

Teste dich selbst

Complete the question to ask 'What is this?'

Wat ___ dit?

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: is

'Is' is the third-person singular form of 'zijn' (to be), which matches 'dit'.

Match the phrase to the correct situation.

You see a strange fruit at the market. What do you say?

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: Wat is dit?

'Wat is dit?' is used to identify objects.

Complete the dialogue.

A: Wat is dit? B: ___ is een stroopwafel.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: Dit

The answer to 'Wat is dit?' usually starts with 'Dit is...' or 'Dat is...'.

Which sentence is plural?

How do you ask 'What are these?'

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: Wat zijn dit?

'Zijn' is the plural form of the verb 'to be'.

🎉 Ergebnis: /4

Visuelle Lernhilfen

Dit vs. Dat

Close (Dit)
Wat is dit? What is this? (In my hand)
Far (Dat)
Wat is dat? What is that? (Over there)

Aufgabensammlung

5 Aufgaben
Wähle die richtige Antwort Fill Blank

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort:
Complete the question to ask 'What is this?' Fill Blank A1

Wat ___ dit?

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: is

'Is' is the third-person singular form of 'zijn' (to be), which matches 'dit'.

Match the phrase to the correct situation. situation_matching A1

You see a strange fruit at the market. What do you say?

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: Wat is dit?

'Wat is dit?' is used to identify objects.

Complete the dialogue. dialogue_completion A1

A: Wat is dit? B: ___ is een stroopwafel.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: Dit

The answer to 'Wat is dit?' usually starts with 'Dit is...' or 'Dat is...'.

Which sentence is plural? Choose A2

How do you ask 'What are these?'

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: Wat zijn dit?

'Zijn' is the plural form of the verb 'to be'.

🎉 Ergebnis: /5

Häufig gestellte Fragen

10 Fragen

No, you must use 'Wie is dit?'. Using 'wat' for a person is considered dehumanizing.

'Dit' is for things close to you (this). 'Dat' is for things further away (that).

Yes, it is perfectly neutral. You can add 'alsjeblieft' at the end to be extra polite.

You change the verb to 'zijn': 'Wat zijn dit?'.

The word 'dan' adds a sense of 'then' or 'now', making the question sound more curious or surprised.

Yes, you can use it for a concept or a situation, e.g., 'Wat is dit voor een plan?' (What kind of plan is this?).

In questions, yes. In other contexts, it can also mean 'something' or 'a bit'.

No, it's closer to a 'v'. Your top teeth should touch your bottom lip slightly.

When asking 'Wat is dit?', you don't need to know! 'Dit' is the safe, neutral choice for unidentified objects.

No, that's incorrect word order for a question. Always put the verb 'is' before 'dit'.

Verwandte Redewendungen

🔗

Wat is dat?

similar

What is that?

🔗

Wie is dit?

contrast

Who is this?

🔗

Wat zijn dit?

builds on

What are these?

🔗

Wat is er?

similar

What's the matter? / What's up?

🔗

Wat stelt dit voor?

specialized form

What does this represent?

Wo du es verwendest

🍎

At the Market

Learner: Wat is dit?

Vendor: Dat is een verse stroopwafel.

neutral
🍲

In a Restaurant

Guest: Wat is dit op de menukaart?

Waiter: Dat is onze dagschotel met vis.

neutral
🏠

At Home

Partner: Wat is dit voor rommel?

You: Sorry, ik ga het nu opruimen.

informal
🏢

At the Office

Colleague: Wat is dit voor document?

You: Dat is het rapport voor de vergadering.

formal
🖼️

In a Museum

Visitor: Wat is dit voor kunstwerk?

Guide: Dit is een vroege Rembrandt.

neutral
📱

Texting/WhatsApp

Friend: [Sends a weird photo]

You: Wat is dit? 😂

informal

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Think of 'Wat' as 'What', 'is' as 'is', and 'dit' as 'this'. It's almost the same as English!

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a giant question mark (?) sitting on top of a mysterious box. The box has the word 'DIT' written on it in bright Dutch orange.

Rhyme

Wat is dit? Een vis in een pit!

Story

You walk into a Dutch kitchen. You see a strange brown paste (it's 'pindakaas'). You point and ask 'Wat is dit?'. Your Dutch friend laughs and says 'This is our gold!'

In Other Languages

It is very similar to German 'Was ist das?' and English 'What is this?'. The structure is identical across these Germanic languages.

Word Web

Wat (What)Is (Is)Dit (This)Dat (That)Wie (Who)Waar (Where)Ding (Thing)Voorwerp (Object)

Herausforderung

Go around your room and point at 5 objects. For each one, say 'Wat is dit?' out loud, then try to find the Dutch word for it.

Review this phrase on day 1, 3, and 7. By day 7, try to use the plural 'Wat zijn dit?' as well.

Aussprache

Betonung The stress is usually on 'Wat' or 'dit' depending on what you want to emphasize.

The 'W' is a labiodental approximant, similar to a soft 'v' in English, not a hard 'w'.

Short 'i' sound, like in 'sit'.

Short 'i' sound and a sharp 't'.

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Wat mag dit zijn?

Wat mag dit zijn? (General identification)

Neutral
Wat is dit?

Wat is dit? (General identification)

Informell
Wat is dit dan?

Wat is dit dan? (General identification)

Umgangssprache
Wat is dit voor iets geks?

Wat is dit voor iets geks? (General identification)

The phrase is a classic example of West Germanic linguistic structure. 'Wat' comes from the Proto-Germanic *hwat, 'is' from *ist, and 'dit' from a combination of demonstrative roots *tha- and *si-.

Old Dutch (700-1150):
Middle Dutch (1150-1500):
Modern Dutch (1500-Present):

Wusstest du?

The word 'wat' is a 'cognate' of the English 'what', meaning they share the same 'ancestor' word from thousands of years ago.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Dutch people value directness. Asking 'Wat is dit?' about food is seen as healthy curiosity, not a critique of the host's cooking.

“Wat is dit voor stamppot?”

In Flanders, the phrase is the same, but the pronunciation of 'wat' might be softer, and 'dit' is often replaced by 'da' in casual speech.

“Wat is da?”

In Surinamese Dutch, the phrase remains standard, but the intonation is often more melodic and rhythmic.

“Wat is dit, hoor?”

In meetings, 'Wat is dit?' is used to quickly clarify data points. It is part of the 'polder model' of open communication.

“Wat is dit cijfer in de tabel?”

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Pointing at a Dutch snack: 'Wat is dit?'

“

Looking at a photo: 'Wat is dit?'

“

At a flea market: 'Wat is dit voor een ding?'

Häufige Fehler

✗

Wie is dit? (when pointing at a box)

✓

Wat is dit?

wrong context
'Wie' is only for people. Using it for objects sounds like you think the object is alive.

L1 Interference

0 1
✗

Wat dit is?

✓

Wat is dit?

wrong conjugation
In Dutch questions, the verb must come before the subject (inversion).

L1 Interference

0 1
✗

Wat is deze?

✓

Wat is dit?

wrong register
'Deze' is a demonstrative for specific 'de-words', but for a general 'what is this?' question, 'dit' is the standard neutral form.

L1 Interference

0
✗

Wat is het?

✓

Wat is dit?

literal translation
While 'Wat is het?' is grammatically correct, it means 'What is it?'. 'Wat is dit?' is more natural when pointing at something specific.

L1 Interference

0

In Other Languages

German Very Similar

Was ist das?

German uses 'das' more broadly than Dutch 'dat'.

French Different

Qu'est-ce que c'est ?

French is much longer and less literal.

Spanish Very Similar

¿Qué es esto?

Spanish requires opening and closing question marks.

Japanese moderate

これは何ですか？ (Kore wa nan desu ka?)

Japanese puts the verb at the end.

Arabic moderate

ما هذا؟ (Ma hadha?)

No verb 'is' is used in the Arabic equivalent.

Chinese moderate

这是什么？ (Zhè shì shénme?)

No inversion in Chinese questions.

Korean moderate

이게 뭐예요? (Ige mwoyeyo?)

Korean has multiple politeness levels for this one phrase.

Portuguese Very Similar

O que é isto?

Portuguese often adds 'O' (the) at the beginning.

Spotted in the Real World

🎬

(2006)

“Wat is dit?”

When discovering something hidden during the war.

📺

(2018)

“Wat is dit voor een traktatie?”

Asking about a child's birthday snack at school.

📚

(2009)

“Wat is dit? vroeg ik, terwijl ik naar het bord wees.”

The protagonist asking about an overly fancy dish at a restaurant.

🎵

(1981)

“Wat is dit voor een plek?”

Children singing about discovering a deserted island.

📱

(2023)

“Echt, wat is dit? 😂”

A comment on a viral video of something strange happening in the Netherlands.

Leicht verwechselbar

Wat is dit? vs. Wat is er?

Learners often use this to ask about an object.

Remember: 'Wat is dit?' = Object. 'Wat is er?' = Situation/Problem.

Wat is dit? vs. Wie is dit?

Using 'Wat' for people or 'Wie' for things.

People are 'Wie', things are 'Wat'.

Häufig gestellte Fragen (10)

No, you must use 'Wie is dit?'. Using 'wat' for a person is considered dehumanizing.

common mistakes

'Dit' is for things close to you (this). 'Dat' is for things further away (that).

basic understanding

Yes, it is perfectly neutral. You can add 'alsjeblieft' at the end to be extra polite.

usage contexts

You change the verb to 'zijn': 'Wat zijn dit?'.

grammar mechanics

The word 'dan' adds a sense of 'then' or 'now', making the question sound more curious or surprised.

practical tips

Yes, you can use it for a concept or a situation, e.g., 'Wat is dit voor een plan?' (What kind of plan is this?).

usage contexts

In questions, yes. In other contexts, it can also mean 'something' or 'a bit'.

grammar mechanics

No, it's closer to a 'v'. Your top teeth should touch your bottom lip slightly.

practical tips

When asking 'Wat is dit?', you don't need to know! 'Dit' is the safe, neutral choice for unidentified objects.

practical tips

No, that's incorrect word order for a question. Always put the verb 'is' before 'dit'.

grammar mechanics

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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