dat
That (Conjunction)
Dat means that and sends the verb to the end: Ek dink dat hy reg is.
How It Works
Dat is the most common subordinating conjunction. It turns a sentence into a clause that can follow a verb of thinking, knowing, saying or feeling.
1. Word order. The verb goes to the end (see verb at the end):
- Hy is reg. → Ek dink dat hy reg is. (I think that he's right.)
- Sy kom môre. → Sy sê dat sy môre kom. (She says that she's coming tomorrow.)
- Julle het gewen. → Ek hoor dat julle gewen het. (I hear that you won.)
2. Verbs that often take dat: dink (think), weet (know), sê (say), hoop (hope), glo (believe), hoor (hear), sien (see) and vertel (tell).
3. Dat after adjectives: Ek is bly dat jy hier is. (I'm glad that you're here.)
4. Negation. When the main verb is negative, its closing nie goes at the very end of the whole sentence: Ek dink nie dat hy reg is nie. (I don't think that he's right.)
5. Leaving out dat. In speech, and after verbs such as dink and sê, dat is often dropped. The clause then uses normal main-clause order: Ek dink hy is reg. Both versions are correct. See leaving out dat.
6. Dat is not every English that. In the book that I'm reading, that is a relative word, and Afrikaans uses wat: die boek wat ek lees.
Examples (6)
- Ek dink dat hy reg is.
I think that he's right.
Word by Word: I think that he right is.
- Sy sê dat sy môre kom.
She says that she's coming tomorrow.
Word by Word: She says that she tomorrow comes.
- Ons hoop dat die weer mooi bly.
We hope that the weather stays nice.
Word by Word: We hope that the weather nice stays.
- Ek is bly dat jy hier is.
I'm glad that you're here.
Word by Word: I am glad that you here are.
- Hy weet nie dat ons al geëet het nie.
He doesn't know that we've already eaten.
Word by Word: He knows not that we already eaten have not.
The closing nie of the main clause comes at the end of the whole sentence.
- Ek dink hy is reg.
I think he's right.
Word by Word: I think he is right.
Without dat, the clause keeps normal order.
Common Mistakes
Keeping normal order after dat.
Sy sê dat sy kom môre.Sy sê dat sy môre kom.After dat, the verb goes to the end of the clause.
Using dat as a relative word.
Die boek dat ek lees, is goed.Die boek wat ek lees, is goed.When that means which and points back to a noun, Afrikaans uses wat. Dat never works as a relative word.
Dropping dat but still putting the verb at the end.
Ek dink hy reg is.Ek dink hy is reg.Without dat, the clause is a normal main clause, so the verb stays second.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Dat starts a subordinate clause, so its verbs go to the end.
Related Patterns
- Leaving Out dat
Dat can often be left out, and then the clause keeps normal order.
Level 3 - Reported Speech
Reported speech often uses dat to pass on what someone said.
Level 3 - wat (Relative)Relative Wat
Relative that, as in the book that I read, is wat in Afrikaans, not dat.
Level 3 - dit ... datDit as a Placeholder for a Clause
Dit can stand in for a dat-clause that comes later in the sentence.
Level 4 - omdatBecause (Omdat)
Omdat is built from dat and also sends the verb to the end.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice dat in Bubblegum
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