Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses in a sentence. When a relative construction is used referentially, the antecedent and the relative pronoun form an anaphoric chain, where the relative pronoun links the relative clause with the antecedent (Ponelis 1979:463). This use is illustrated in (2a-b). The relative pronoun wie who, used with reference to people, can also form part of a prepositional complement (2c). While this use is not always accepted, relative wie is sometimes used without being part of a genitive construction (2b) or PP (2c-d), in a construction similar to those with wat, only referring specifically to people (2e).

There are also free relative constructions, without explicit antecedents, although it is implied. The relative wie in this case means more or less "everyone / someone who" (3a-b) and wat means more or less "that which" or "what" (3c-d) (Ponelis 1979:463).

The relative waar where is used to introduce an adverbial relative clause indicating place. The place it specifies can be concrete (as in 1c) or it can be fairly abstract or conceptual (4a). It is also sometimes used in phrases that are not relative clauses, but short adverbial phrases without a verb (although it is implied), such as (4b-c). In (4b) the phrase implies "where it is necessary", and in (4c) it implies "where it is appliccable". Relative wanneer when is used similarly to introduce adverbial relative clauses of time (4d), as well as adverbial phrases without a verb (4e-f). The relative clause in (4d) is an example of the full clause implied in (4e), and the implied clause in (4f) is "when it is appropriate".

When combined with prepositions, relative wat that typically changes to waar- in compounds (5a-c). However, this does not always happen, and speakers sometimes use wat and prepositions without combining it into a compound, as in (5d-f). An older variant, used only rarely today (Kirsten 2016:222), is with waar and a preposition, without combining it into a compound (5g-i).