of (afhankelijke vraag)

Of (Whether)

Level 3

In Dutch, the word of is used to report a question that has a 'yes' or 'no' answer. It is the equivalent of the English 'whether' or 'if' in sentences like 'I don't know if he is coming.'

How It Works

The conjunction of serves two main purposes in Dutch:

1. Coordinating Conjunction: Meaning 'or' (e.g., koffie of thee?). In this case, word order does not change.
2. Subordinating Conjunction: Meaning 'whether' or 'if'. This is used for indirect questions.

Word Order Rules:
When of introduces an indirect question, it triggers subordinate clause word order (SOV). This means the conjugated verb moves to the very end of the sentence.

Of vs. Als:
A common trap for English speakers is using als for indirect questions. In Dutch, als introduces conditions ('If it rains, I stay home'), not indirect questions. If you are reporting a question where the answer is yes or no, you must use of.

Examples (4)

  1. Ik weet niet of hij komt.

    I don't know whether he is coming.

    Word by Word: I know not whether he comes.

    Notice how the verb 'komt' moves to the end because 'of' is a subordinator.

  2. Zij vraagt of we al gegeten hebben.

    She asks if we have already eaten.

    Word by Word: She asks whether we already eaten have.

    In a perfect tense clause, both verbs go to the end.

  3. Weet jij of de winkel open is?

    Do you know whether the shop is open?

    Word by Word: Know you whether the shop open is?

    Even when the main clause is a question, the 'of' clause follows subordinate word order.

  4. Ik vraag me af of het morgen gaat regenen.

    I wonder whether it is going to rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I ask me off whether it tomorrow goes rain.

    The phrase 'ik vraag me af' (I wonder) is very commonly followed by 'of'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'als' instead of 'of' for indirect questions.

    Ik weet niet als hij komt.
    Ik weet niet of hij komt.

    'Als' is for 'if' in the conditional sense (if X happens, then Y). For indirect yes/no questions, standard Dutch uses 'of'; 'als' for 'of' is not standard.

  • Using main clause word order after 'of'.

    Ik vraag me af of hij komt morgen.
    Ik vraag me af of hij morgen komt.

    Because 'of' is a subordinator, the verb 'komt' must move to the very end.

How It Connects

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of (afhankelijke vraag)Level 3Of (Whether)

Learn This First

To use 'of' as 'whether', you need to understand that it introduces an indirect question. This requires knowledge of how to form basic yes/no questions and, most importantly, how to shift the verb to the end of the sentence using subordinate clause word order.

Words in This Pattern

of