Relative clauses: der, die, das all over again
CEFR B1
What you will learn
- Recognise the pattern taught in “Relative clauses: der, die, das all over again” in a short example.
- Choose the appropriate form from “Relative clauses: der, die, das all over again” using explicit evidence.
- Apply and justify the rule from “Relative clauses: der, die, das all over again” in a new case.
The idea
The German relative pronoun looks almost like the article, and its form is decided by two separate things: gender and number come from the word it refers back to, while case comes from what it does inside its own clause.
The list is the article's with two tweaks: der, die, das, die in the nominative; den, die, das, die in the accusative; dem, der, dem, denen in the dative. Only denen and the genitives dessen and deren step outside what you already know.
The mechanism shows up best in a pair. «Der Mann, der dort steht» and «Der Mann, den ich kenne» talk about the same man, but in the first the relative is the subject of its own clause and in the second it is the direct object, which is why it changes.
A relative clause is a subordinate clause, so its verb goes to the end, exactly as with weil or dass. And it always has a comma in front, even when the sentence looks short.
If there is a preposition, it stands in front of the relative and it is the preposition that rules the case: «Die Frau, mit der ich gesprochen habe», «Das Haus, in dem wir wohnen». Nothing to decide there: mit always takes the dative.
Audit the choice on a two-axis grid: first find gender and number in the antecedent; then determine inside the relative clause whether the missing role is subject, direct object, object of a preposition or possessor. Commas open and close the embedded clause, and surface similarity to an article never removes that second analysis.
pronombres relativos cuatro casos
| elemento | forma |
|---|---|
| 1 | nominativo · der · das · die · die |
| 2 | acusativo · den · das · die · die |
| 3 | dativo · dem · dem · der · denen |
| 4 | genitivo · dessen · dessen · deren · deren |
decision del relativo
| elemento | forma |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 · ¿qué antecedente determina género y número? |
| 2 | 2 · ¿qué función cumple el hueco dentro de la relativa? |
| 3 | 3 · ¿hay una preposición que determine el caso? |
| 4 | 4 · ¿queda el verbo finito al final y la relativa entre comas? |
How it sounds
- Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Nachbar.The relative is the subject of its own clause, so it stands in the nominative.
- Der Mann, den ich kenne, wohnt in Bonn.Same man, but now he is the one known: accusative, den.
- Die Frau, mit der ich gesprochen habe, arbeitet hier.The preposition rules: mit takes the dative and the feminine gives der.
- Das sind die Freunde, denen ich geschrieben habe.Dative plural: denen, the only form that does not look like the article.
Your turn
Two or three, to check that the bit above landed.
Die Nachbarin, ___ mir geholfen hat, wohnt oben.
die — The antecedent is feminine and the relative is the subject of hat geholfen: nominative die.
Das Gerät, ___ wir bestellt haben, ist angekommen.
das — Gerät is neuter and functions as the direct object inside the relative clause: accusative das.
Der Kollege, mit ___ ich arbeite, spricht drei Sprachen.
dem — mit requires the dative; the masculine antecedent selects dem.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- The relative genitive is dessen and deren, and it is used more than the ordinary genitive.Der Mann, dessen Auto hier steht, ist weg.
- After alles, etwas, nichts and das the relative is was, not der.Alles, was du sagst, stimmt.
- With places you can use wo instead of preposition plus relative.Die Stadt, wo ich geboren bin, ist klein.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Der Mann ich kenne wohnt in Bonn.
Right Der Mann, den ich kenne, wohnt in Bonn.
English can drop the relative pronoun altogether —«the man I know»— and uses no commas. German allows neither: the pronoun is compulsory and so are both commas.