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Interrogative pronouns: subject and object
quickinfo

The basic interrogative pronouns are wat what, used to ask about inanimate objects (1a) and sometimes animals, and wie who, used to ask about people (1b).

1
a. Wat is die mens?
what be.PRS the human
What is humanity?
VivA-KPO
b. Wie is hulle?
who be.PRS they
Who are they?
VivA-KPO
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The interrogative pronoun wat what is typically used to ask about inanimate objects, and can function as both the subject (2a) and the object (2b) of a sentence.

2
a. Wat gaan fout?
what go mistake
What goes wrong?
VivA-KPO
b. Maar wat het hulle gedoen?
but what have.AUX they do.PST
But what did they do?
VivA-KPO

The interrogative pronoun wie who, on the other hand, is used to inquire about people, and can also function as the subject (3a) and the object (3b) of a sentence.

3
a. Wie sal bo uitkom?
who will above out.come
Who will.AUX.MOD come out on top?
VivA-KPO
b. Wie vrees hulle en vir wie vlug hulle?
who fear they and for who flee they
Who do they fear and from who are they fleeing?
VivA-KPO, adapted

Both of these interrogative pronouns can be modified or specified – premodified (4a-b) as well as postmodified (4c-d).

4
a. Maar presies wat het gebeur?
but exactly what have.AUX happen.PST
But exactly what happened?
VivA-KPO
b. Maar presies wie was hierdie mense?
but exactly who be.PrT these people
But exactly who were these people?
VivA-KPO
c. Mmmm nou wat presies is die rede hiervoor?
hmmm now what exactly be.PRS the reason PN.for
Hmmm now what exactly is the reason for this?
VivA-KPO
d. Wie presies soek julle?
who exactly search you.PL
Who exactly are you looking for?
VivA-KPO
References
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