Relative Clauses
Learn to use German relative clauses to combine sentences and add information about nouns. Master the relative pronouns der, die, das and their case forms.
1Introduction to Relative Clauses
Relative clauses in German provide additional information about a noun in the main clause. They are introduced by relative pronouns (der, die, das) and the verb goes to the end of the relative clause. Relative clauses are always separated from the main clause by commas. The relative pronoun refers back to a noun (called the antecedent) and must agree with it in gender and number, but takes its case from its function in the relative clause.
Examples
Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer.
The man who is standing there is my teacher.
der = relative pronoun (masculine, nominative)
Das Buch, das ich lese, ist sehr interessant.
The book that I'm reading is very interesting.
das = relative pronoun (neuter, accusative)
Die Frau, die neben mir wohnt, kommt aus Spanien.
The woman who lives next to me comes from Spain.
die = relative pronoun (feminine, nominative)
Die Kinder, die im Park spielen, sind laut.
The children who are playing in the park are loud.
die = relative pronoun (plural, nominative)
2Relative Pronouns in Nominative and Accusative
The relative pronoun takes its gender/number from the antecedent but its case from its role in the relative clause. In nominative, the pronoun is the subject of the relative clause. In accusative, it's the direct object. Nominative: der, die, das, die (plural). Accusative: den, die, das, die (plural). Note that only the masculine form changes between nominative and accusative.
Examples
Der Film, der gestern lief, war gut.
The film that ran yesterday was good.
der (nom.) - the film IS the subject of 'lief'
Der Film, den ich gesehen habe, war gut.
The film that I saw was good.
den (acc.) - 'I' saw 'the film' (object)
Die Tasche, die auf dem Tisch liegt, gehört mir.
The bag that is lying on the table belongs to me.
die (nom.) - the bag IS lying
Die Musik, die sie hört, ist zu laut.
The music that she listens to is too loud.
die (acc.) - she hears 'the music'
3Relative Pronouns in Dative
When the relative pronoun functions as an indirect object or follows a dative preposition, it takes the dative form. Dative relative pronouns are: dem (masc/neut), der (fem), denen (plural). Remember that some verbs require dative objects (helfen, danken, gefallen, etc.), so even if the verb seems transitive, the relative pronoun might be dative.
Examples
Der Kollege, dem ich geholfen habe, war sehr dankbar.
The colleague whom I helped was very grateful.
dem (dat.) - helfen takes dative
Die Freundin, der ich das Buch gegeben habe, liest viel.
The friend to whom I gave the book reads a lot.
der (dat. fem.) - indirect object
Das Kind, dem das Spielzeug gehört, weint.
The child to whom the toy belongs is crying.
dem (dat. neut.) - gehören takes dative
Die Leute, denen ich begegnet bin, waren freundlich.
The people whom I met were friendly.
denen (dat. plural) - begegnen takes dative
4Relative Pronouns with Prepositions
When a relative clause contains a preposition, the preposition comes before the relative pronoun. The case of the relative pronoun is determined by the preposition (not its function in the clause). The preposition cannot be separated from the relative pronoun as it sometimes can in English ("the person I spoke to" → German must use "the person to whom I spoke").
Examples
Die Stadt, in der ich wohne, ist sehr schön.
The city in which I live is very beautiful.
in + dative (der) = in der
Der Stuhl, auf dem du sitzt, ist neu.
The chair on which you're sitting is new.
auf + dative (dem) for location
Das Thema, über das wir gesprochen haben, ist wichtig.
The topic about which we spoke is important.
über + accusative (das)
Die Person, mit der ich arbeite, ist sehr nett.
The person with whom I work is very nice.
mit + dative (der)
5Word Order in Relative Clauses
In German relative clauses, the conjugated verb always goes to the end. This is a key difference from main clauses where the verb is in second position. If the relative clause has a two-part verb (like present perfect or future), the auxiliary/modal is conjugated and goes to the end, while the participle or infinitive comes just before it.
Examples
Das Auto, das mein Vater gekauft hat, ist blau.
The car that my father bought is blue.
Participle (gekauft) + auxiliary (hat) at end
Der Film, den ich sehen will, läuft morgen.
The film that I want to see is showing tomorrow.
Infinitive (sehen) + modal (will) at end
Die Aufgabe, die ich machen muss, ist schwer.
The task that I have to do is difficult.
Infinitive (machen) + modal (muss) at end
Das Haus, in dem wir gewohnt haben, war alt.
The house in which we lived was old.
Preposition first, verb(s) at end