wat (Whole Clause)
Wat Referring to a Whole Clause
Use wat after a comma to comment on the whole statement before it: Hy het laat gekom, wat almal verbaas het. (He came late, which surprised everyone.)
How It Works
1. Wat can sum up a whole statement. In an ordinary relative clause, wat refers to one noun: die boek wat ek lees (the book that I am reading). Wat can also refer to a whole clause. Then it works like English which in He came late, which surprised everyone:
- Hy het laat gekom, wat almal verbaas het. (He came late, which surprised everyone.)
- Sy het die eksamen geslaag, wat baie goeie nuus is. (She passed the exam, which is very good news.)
2. The verb goes to the end. The wat clause follows subordinate clause word order, so its verbs gather at the end: ..., wat almal verbaas het.
3. With a preposition, use waar + preposition. When the comment needs a preposition, Afrikaans joins waar to it, just as in waarmee and waarop:
- Hy het my gehelp om te trek, waarvoor ek baie dankbaar is. (He helped me move, which I am very grateful for.)
- Sy het die werk gekry, waaroor sy baie bly is. (She got the job, which she is very happy about.)
4. Use wat, not watter. English which is watter only when you ask or choose: Watter boek wil jy hê? To comment on a statement, use wat. You can also start a new sentence with dit: Hy het laat gekom. Dit het almal verbaas.
Tip: Put a comma before this wat. The pause shows that wat refers to the whole idea, not only to the last noun.
Examples (5)
- Hy het laat gekom, wat almal verbaas het.
He came late, which surprised everyone.
Word by Word: He has late come, which everyone surprised has.
Wat refers to the fact that he came late, not to one noun.
- Sy het die eksamen geslaag, wat baie goeie nuus is.
She passed the exam, which is very good news.
Word by Word: She has the exam passed, which very good news is.
- Dit het die hele nag gereën, wat die paaie glad gemaak het.
It rained all night, which made the roads slippery.
Word by Word: It has the whole night rained, which the roads slippery made has.
- Die winkel was toe, wat beteken dat ons môre moet teruggaan.
The shop was closed, which means that we have to go back tomorrow.
Word by Word: The shop was closed, which means that we tomorrow must go back.
- Hy het my gehelp om te trek, waarvoor ek baie dankbaar is.
He helped me move, which I am very grateful for.
Word by Word: He has me helped to move, where-for I very grateful am.
Dankbaar vir needs a preposition, so wat becomes waarvoor (vir becomes voor).
Common Mistakes
Translating which as watter.
Hy het laat gekom, watter almal verbaas het.Hy het laat gekom, wat almal verbaas het.Watter asks or chooses (Watter boek?). To point back to a whole statement, Afrikaans uses wat.
Keeping main-clause word order after wat.
Sy het die eksamen geslaag, wat is baie goeie nuus.Sy het die eksamen geslaag, wat baie goeie nuus is.A wat clause is a relative clause, so its verb goes to the end.
Using a preposition + wat.
Hy het my gehelp, vir wat ek baie dankbaar is.Hy het my gehelp, waarvoor ek baie dankbaar is.When a relative clause needs a preposition and does not refer to a person, standard Afrikaans uses waar + preposition: waarvoor, waaroor, waarmee.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Wat can refer back to a whole clause.
Related Patterns
- waarmee/waarop/waarinRelative Waarmee, Waarop, Waarin
Gives the waarvoor, waaroor and waarmee forms used when the comment needs a preposition.
Level 3 - Verb at the End in Subordinate Clauses
The rule that sends the verb to the end of the wat clause.
Level 2 - watterWhich
Watter means which only in questions and choices, never for pointing back to a statement.
Level 1 - Pseudo-Clefts: wat ... isBuilding Up to the Point: Wat ... Is
Another use of wat that sums up an idea, this time at the start: Wat ek nodig het, is koffie.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice wat (Whole Clause) in Bubblegum
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