wie se

Whose: Wie Se

Level 3

Wie se means whose. Put the noun right after it: Wie se boek is dit? (Whose book is this?)

How It Works

1. Built like noun + se. Afrikaans shows ownership with se: Pa se kar (Dad's car). Put wie (who) in the owner's place and you get whose: wie se kar? (whose car?)

2. In questions. Wie se + noun comes first, and the verb follows:

  • Wie se boek is dit? (Whose book is this?)
  • Wie se beurt is dit? (Whose turn is it?)
  • Met wie se kar het julle gery? (Whose car did you go in?)

3. In relative clauses. Wie se also joins a clause to a person and means whose. The verb of that clause goes to the end: die man wie se kar gesteel is (the man whose car was stolen), die meisie wie se ma ons onderwyser is (the girl whose mother is our teacher).

4. With things. Wie se is used for people. For a thing, standard Afrikaans says waarvan die + noun: die boeke waarvan die omslae weg is (the books whose covers are missing). Wie se can still refer to a group of people, such as a school or a company: die skool wie se uitslae eerste bekend gemaak word (the school whose results are announced first). In casual speech you may hear wat se, but that is not standard.

5. Standing alone: wie s'n. When no noun follows, use wie s'n, just as with s'n: Wie s'n is hierdie sak? (Whose is this bag?)

Examples (6)

  1. Wie se boek is dit?

    Whose book is this?

    Word by Word: Who 's book is it?

  2. Wie se beurt is dit?

    Whose turn is it?

    Word by Word: Who 's turn is it?

  3. Dit is die man wie se kar gesteel is.

    That is the man whose car was stolen.

    Word by Word: It is the man who 's car stolen is.

    The verb is goes to the end of the wie se clause.

  4. Die meisie wie se ma ons onderwyser is, sit langs my.

    The girl whose mother is our teacher sits next to me.

    Word by Word: The girl who 's mother our teacher is, sits next-to me.

  5. Met wie se kar het julle gery?

    Whose car did you go in?

    Word by Word: With who 's car have you driven?

    A preposition can come before wie se.

  6. Wie s'n is hierdie sak?

    Whose is this bag?

    Word by Word: Who 's-one is this bag?

    No noun follows, so wie s'n is used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using wie se with no noun after it.

    Wie se is hierdie sak?
    Wie s'n is hierdie sak?

    Se must be followed by a noun. When the noun is left out, use s'n.

  • Keeping the verb in second place in a wie se clause.

    Dit is die man wie se kar is gesteel.
    Dit is die man wie se kar gesteel is.

    Wie se starts a relative clause here, so its verbs go to the end.

  • Using wat se for things in writing.

    Die boeke wat se omslae weg is, moet vervang word.
    Die boeke waarvan die omslae weg is, moet vervang word.

    Wat se is heard in casual speech but is not standard. For things, use waarvan die + noun.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

wie seLevel 3Whose: Wie Se

Learn This First

Wie se means whose.

Words in This Pattern

ses'n