Relative wou

Wou for Places and Times

Level 3

After a place or a time, use wou to add a relative clause: d'Stad, wou ech wunnen (the town where I live).

How It Works

1. Wou for places
After a noun that names a place, wou means where:

  • D'Stad, wou ech wunnen, ass net grouss. (The town where I live is not big.)
  • Mir sichen en Hotel, wou Hënn erlaabt sinn. (We are looking for a hotel where dogs are allowed.)

2. Wou for times
After a noun of time, wou means when. English often leaves it out, but Luxembourgish needs it:

  • Den Dag, wou mir eis getraff hunn, huet et gereent. (The day we met, it rained.)
  • Et gëtt Deeg, wou ech guer net wëll opstoen. (There are days when I do not want to get up at all.)

With elo it means now that: Elo, wou d'Kanner grouss sinn, hu mir méi Zäit.

3. Word order and commas
The conjugated verb goes to the end. A modal verb usually comes before the infinitive there: wou ech net wëll opstoen. See Modal Verbs in Subordinate Clauses. Commas always surround the clause.

4. Do, wou
Wou can refer back to do (there): Do, wou ech gebuer sinn, gëtt et vill Bëscher. (Where I was born, there are many forests.)

5. People and things
For people and things, the standard choice is deen, déi or dat: d'Leit, déi hei wunnen. You will hear wou in that role in casual speech, but many speakers do not accept it.

6. Other uses of wou
Wou is also the question word where, as in Where and Where To: Wou and Wuer, and it introduces Indirect Questions: Ech weess net, wou hie wunnt.

Examples (6)

  1. D'Stad, wou ech wunnen, ass net grouss.

    The town where I live isn't big.

    Wou refers to a place. The verb wunnen goes to the end.

  2. Den Dag, wou mir eis getraff hunn, huet et gereent.

    The day we met, it rained.

    Wou refers to a time. English can leave out when; Luxembourgish cannot leave out wou.

  3. Mir sichen en Hotel, wou Hënn erlaabt sinn.

    We're looking for a hotel where dogs are allowed.

    Wou is the same for masculine, feminine, neuter and plural nouns.

  4. Et gëtt Deeg, wou ech guer net wëll opstoen.

    There are days when I don't want to get up at all.

    At the end of the clause the modal wëll comes before the infinitive opstoen.

  5. Do, wou ech gebuer sinn, gëtt et vill Bëscher.

    Where I was born, there are lots of forests.

    Wou refers back to do (there).

  6. Elo, wou d'Kanner grouss sinn, hu mir méi Zäit.

    Now that the children are grown up, we have more time.

    Elo, wou means now that.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the verb right after wou.

    Mir sichen en Hotel, wou sinn Hënn erlaabt.
    Mir sichen en Hotel, wou Hënn erlaabt sinn.

    A wou clause is a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb sinn goes to the very end, after erlaabt.

  • Using the question word wéini after a noun of time.

    Den Dag, wéini mir eis getraff hunn, huet et gereent.
    Den Dag, wou mir eis getraff hunn, huet et gereent.

    Wéini asks when, as in Wéini kënns de? After a noun such as den Dag, the relative word is wou.

How It Connects

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

Relative wouLevel 3Wou for Places and Times

Learn This First

Before Wou for Places and Times, learn Relative Clauses With Deen, Déi and Dat.

Words in This Pattern

wou