Dutch

Determiner

wiens

1. (interrogative) whose?

   Wiens auto is dat?

   Whose car is that?

2. (relative) whose

   Martin Van Buren is de enige president wiens moedertaal niet Engels was. Zijn eerste taal was Nederlands.

   Martin Van Buren is the only president whose mother tongue was not English. His first language was Dutch.

Usage notes

Some people use "wiens" where they ought to use "wier". While wiens is the genitive masculine singular of wie, wier is the genitive feminine singular and the genitive plural. Example sentences of correct usage:

• Hij is de enige president wiens moedertaal niet Engels was. — He is the only president whose mother tongue was not English. (genitive masculine singular)
• Zij is de enige presidente wier moedertaal niet Engels was. — She is the only president whose mother tongue was not English. (genitive feminine singular)
• Zij zijn de enige presidenten wier moedertaal niet Engels was. — They are the only presidents whose mother tongue was not English. (genitive plural)