wie ben je?
The English phrase "who are you?" is translated into Dutch as wie ben je?
This phrase is a question used to ask for the identity of a person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of wie (who), ben (am/are) and je (you/informal).
Which one should you use?
You can use wie ben jij? to add emphasis to the person being asked, similar to saying "who are *you*?" in English.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the emphatic form wie ben jij?, the pronoun je is replaced with jij to place more focus on the subject.
Did you know?
- In Dutch, asking wie ben je? can sound unexpectedly aggressive or confrontational depending on the tone. To be polite when meeting a stranger, Dutch people often use the phrase mag ik me voorstellen?, which means 'may I introduce myself?'
- If you want to sound more intense or suspicious, you can stretch the vowel in wie to make it sound like 'wieee…?', signaling your doubt about the person's identity.
- While asking 'who are you?' seems simple, in a formal setting you must change the entire phrase to wie bent u? to avoid being impolite.
Examples in context
- Beste meneer, zou u mij kunnen vertellen wie u bent?Dear sir, could you please tell me who you are?
- Hey, wie ben jij?Hey, who are you?
- Hoi, ik herken je niet. Wie ben jij?Hi, I don't recognize you. Who are you?
- Wie ben je eigenlijk?Who are you, actually?
- Wie ben je?Who are you?
- Sorry, maar wie ben je?Sorry, but who are you?
Example conversation
Daan meets a new student at school.
- DaanHoi, ik ben Daan. Wie ben je?Hi, I am Daan. Who are you?
- JuliaIk ben Julia. Leuk je te ontmoeten!I am Julia. Nice to meet you!
- DaanKom je uit deze stad?Do you come from this city?
- JuliaNee, ik ben net verhuisd.No, I just moved.
