# Waar heeft Marij zin in?



## DearPrudence

Goedenavond 

In my book, there is the following question on a text:
*"Is er een toetje? Waar heeft Marij zin in?"*
(answer:
*"Marij heeft zin in een sinaasapel.")*

I don't understand why it is "waar" & not "wat"? Is it because of the verb "hebben zin in"?

Thanks for your help.


----------



## Eáránë

Hey

I think you cannot use 'wat' in this sentence because there is a preposition ('in') at the end. You can paraphrase this sentence by "Waarin heeft Marij zin?" However, you cannot say "*Wat in heeft Marij zin?".

If there is no preposition at the end of the sentence, you can use 'wat' as a question word. For example in the sentence: "Wat eet Marij?"  (What does Mary eat?)

Bye
Eáránë


----------



## DearPrudence

OK, OK, I see. Thank you


----------



## Joannes

This is indeed some peculiar thing in Dutch grammar. *Wat* combined with a preposition becomes *waar*. The same happens for *dit* 'this' and *dat* 'that', by the way, which are also replaced by spatial deictics, viz. *hier* 'here' and *daar* 'there', when they are combined with a preposition.

Illustration:
*- Waarmee (*met wat) open jij de deur?* 'What do you open the door with?'
*- Hiermee (*met dit).* 'With this.'
*- Wat is dat?* 'What is that?'
*- Dit is een sleutel.* 'This is a key.'
*- En daarmee (*met dat) open jij de deur?* 'And that is what you open the door with?'
*- Ja, dat zei ik toch al, paljas.* 'Yes, that's what I said, buffoon.'

To get it all complicated, you can have sentences like yours in which *waar* is miles away from the preposition. But I'm afraid you'll have to get used to that. (Or go to Antwerp where preposition + interrogative/demonstrative pronoun _is_ a grammatical construction in the local dialect.)


----------



## DearPrudence

Thank you once again, Joannes, for that helpful explanation  I don't promise you I'll master it straightaway but it's always good to know


----------



## Eáránë

MIODRAG said:


> Is that always so? Isn't _Wat geloof je in, dan?_ better than _Waar geloof je in, dan?_ (= _So, what *do* you believe in_? )
> 
> Just guessing here...


 
Hey

I don't really know if this 'rule' is always applicable, but so far I haven't found any counterexamples. The rule also applies to your example: "Waar geloof je in, dan?" is better than *"Wat geloof je in, dan?", even if you put a stress on the verb. Moreover, I don't think this last sentence is grammatical.

Bye
Eáránë


----------



## Eáránë

MIODRAG said:


> Somehow, it looks as if to "*waar *geloof je (in)" the logical answer would be "de kerk binnen, tot je uit stapt". Never mind...


 
The question "waar geloof je (in)" could also lead to the answer you're giving ("in de kerk"), thereby referring to the place where one practices his faith. However, I think this is only possible in a particular context. It's certainly not the answer one expects when one asks this kind of question. The most obvious answer would be "Ik geloof in God" ("I believe in God") or something similar.

Eáránë


----------



## HKK

Eáránë said:


> The question "waar geloof je (in)" could also lead to the answer you're giving ("in de kerk")



Not quite. The question "Waar geloof je?" can only mean "Where do you believe?". "Waar geloof je in?" can only mean "What do you believe in?". You can't just put the 'in' between brackets because it's essential.


----------



## Eáránë

HKK said:


> Not quite. The question "Waar geloof je?" can only mean "Where do you believe?". "Waar geloof je in?" can only mean "What do you believe in?". You can't just put the 'in' between brackets because it's essential.


 
Indeed, you're quite right. There certainly is a difference in meaning.


----------



## Frank06

Hi,



Eáránë said:


> Indeed, you're quite right. There certainly is a difference in meaning.


I fail to see the difference in meaning between "Waar geloof je" en "Waar geloof je in", for the simple reason that the first sense is quite nonsensical (or, at best, very comical).

Or do I miss something? 

Groetjes,

Frank


----------



## HKK

Frank06 said:


> Hi,
> 
> 
> I fail to see the difference in meaning between "Waar geloof je" en "Waar geloof je in", for the simple reason that the first sense is quite nonsensical (or, at best, very comical).
> 
> Or do I miss something?
> 
> Groetjes,
> 
> Frank



Your question is almost rhetoric Frank: I admit "Waar geloof je?" wouldn't be a frequent question at all. But it's not unthinkable, imagine this:

-Vreemd genoeg geloof ik alleen in god op sommige plekken.
-Waar geloof je dan?
-Op de renbaan.

-Oddly, I only believe in god in some places.
-Then where do you believe?
-At the races.

Still, there must be better examples of a verb that can have a spatial meaning without a fixed preposition and a non-spatial meaning with it. I can't think of one right now though.


----------

