(:title "Het" as a subject:)
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[[http://www.dutchgrammar.com/_word_docs/Er.pdf | PICS:pdf.PNG"This is a PDF file, which will open Acrobat Reader."]] [[http://www.dutchgrammar.com/_word_docs/Er.pdf | 'Er' by W. Voortman]] {$WEBTOP}[[AXS:ax.pl?http://c2.com/cgi/wiki/wiki?DutchWordOrder | Wiki Dutch Word Order (EN)]]
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!!! ''Het'' as a subject for a subject clause

Some sentences do not have a clearly defined subject. In Dutch, we then choose for either ''er'' (see [[WordOrder.41 | er as a subject]]) or ''het''. 

If the phrase is set in the passive voice, we generally use ''er''. An exception is the passive sentence of which the  'that-subclause' is a factual statement, e.g. "Het is bevestigd dat ze broers zijn." (It has been confirmed that they are brothers). See also [[WordOrder.43 | ''er'' or ''het'']]. 

!!! ''Het'' as a 'real' subject

If the sentence has an active voice, but no clearly defined subject, we use ''het''. We do the same in English:
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(:table width='95%' align='center' cellspacing='0' class='gray':)
(:cellnr valign='top' width='25%' class='gray':)Het regent
(:cell class='i' width='25%':)It rains
(:cell valign='top' width='25%' class='gray':)Het gaat goed
(:cell class='i' width='25%':)It goes alright
(:cellnr valign='top' width='25%' class='gray':)Het is vijf uur
(:cell class='i' width='25%':)It is five o' clock
(:cell valign='top' width='25%' class='gray':)Het zal wel.*
(:cell class='i' width='25%':)Lit: It will be
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(*) A colloquial expression used in the sense of ''Yeah right''.

Being a [[Pronouns.Ps01 | personal pronoun]], 'het' can also function as a real subject:
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(:table width='95%' align='center' cellspacing='0' class='gray':)
(:cellnr valign='top' width='50%' class='gray':)Het werd keurig opgeruimd ('''het''' bureau)
(:cell class='i' width='50%':)It was properly tidied (the desk)
(:cellnr valign='top' class='gray':)Het kan bijwerkingen veroorzaken ('''het''' medicijn)
(:cell class='i':)It can cause side-effects (the medicine)
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