German Relative Clauses
Link ideas with der, die, das, pick the right case every time and handle prepositions, was and wo.
A relative clause adds information about a noun, like 'the man who lives next door'. In German it starts with a relative pronoun (sometimes after a preposition) and ends with the verb.
The pronoun looks like der, die, das, and two quick questions tell you which form you need.
Verb last, commas around it
The relative clause starts with a relative pronoun and is set off by commas. Its conjugated verb goes to the end.
Das ist der Mann, der neben uns wohnt.
That's the man who lives next to us.
Die Wohnung, die wir gemietet haben, ist sehr hell.
The flat we rented is very bright.
Gender from the noun, case from the clause
The pronoun takes gender and number from the noun it refers to. Its case depends on its job inside the relative clause.
Nominative
- Masculineder
- Femininedie
- Neuterdas
- Pluraldie
Accusative
- Masculineden
- Femininedie
- Neuterdas
- Pluraldie
Dative
- Masculinedem
- Feminineder
- Neuterdem
- Pluraldenen
Genitive
- Masculinedessen
- Femininederen
- Neuterdessen
- Pluralderen
Der Kollege, den ich gestern getroffen habe, heißt Jonas.
The colleague I met yesterday is called Jonas.
Die Kinder, denen ich Nachhilfe gebe, sind sehr fleißig.
The children I tutor are very hard-working.
Die Frau, deren Auto hier steht, ist meine Chefin.
The woman whose car is parked here is my boss.
With a preposition
The preposition goes in front of the relative pronoun and decides its case. Both stand together at the start of the clause.
Das ist die Stadt, in der ich geboren bin.
That's the city I was born in.
Der Freund, mit dem ich reise, spricht Spanisch.
The friend I'm travelling with speaks Spanish.
Das Thema, für das ich mich interessiere, ist Klimaschutz.
The topic I'm interested in is climate protection.
was and wo
- was after alles, nichts, etwas, vieles
- was after a superlative: das Beste, was …
- was refers back to a whole clause
- wo can replace in dem for places
Alles, was du brauchst, ist hier.
Everything you need is here.
Er hat die Prüfung bestanden, was mich sehr freut.
He passed the exam, which makes me very happy.
Common mistakes
✗
Der Mann, der ich kenne, ist Arzt.✓ Der Mann, den ich kenne, ist Arzt.
He is the object of kennen: accusative den.
✗
Das Buch, das ich habe gelesen, war gut.✓ Das Buch, das ich gelesen habe, war gut.
The conjugated verb goes last in the relative clause.
✗
Die Leute, die ich helfe, sind nett.✓ Die Leute, denen ich helfe, sind nett.
helfen takes the dative: plural denen.
✗
Das ist alles, das ich weiß.✓ Das ist alles, was ich weiß.
After alles, use was.
Questions learners ask
When do I use dessen and deren?
Both mean 'whose'. Use dessen for masculine and neuter nouns, deren for feminine and plural nouns.
Can I leave out the relative pronoun like in English?
No. 'The book I read' must be das Buch, das ich gelesen habe; the pronoun and the commas are required.