B1Sentence structure

Relative clauses

Relative clauses give additional information about a noun.

Take a look

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer.

The man who is standing there is my teacher.

Take a look

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer.The man who is standing there is my teacher.
Die Frau, die ich kenne, ist Ärztin.The woman I know is a doctor.
Das Buch, das ich lese, ist spannend.The book I am reading is exciting.
Der Film, den wir gesehen haben, war gut.The film we saw was good.

The rule

Relative clauses give additional information about a noun. They are introduced by relative pronouns, which agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to, but take their case from their function in the relative clause. The verb goes at the end of the relative clause. Relative pronouns, nominative: der, die, das, die (plural). Relative pronouns, accusative: den, die, das, die (plural). Relative pronouns, dative: dem, der, dem, denen (plural). Gender and number are determined by the noun they refer to, the case by their function in the relative clause. The verb goes at the end of the relative clause. A comma is placed before and after the relative clause.

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The forms

Relative pronouns

	Nominativ	Akkusativ	Dativ
maskulin	der	den	dem
feminin	die	die	der
neutral	das	das	dem
Plural	die	die	denen

Quick check

Insert the correct relative pronoun.Der Hund, ___ im Garten spielt, gehört mir.
Choose the correct relative pronoun.Die Stadt, in ___ ich wohne, ist klein.
Insert the correct relative pronoun.Das Auto, ___ er gekauft hat, ist rot.
Correct the mistake.Die Kinder, den im Park spielen, sind laut.
Choose the correct relative pronoun.Der Lehrer, ___ ich gefragt habe, war nett.
Insert the correct relative pronoun.Die Freunde, mit ___ ich reise, sind lustig.

The answers appear after “Check”.

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Sentence structure

A1The verb in second positionWhere is the verb after “Heute”?A1Nicht and keinWhat does “nicht” do in these sentences?A1Asking questionsWhy does one question start with “Wo” and another with “Kann”?A2In, auf, unter: place or directionWhy is it “in die Schule” but “in einem Büro”?A2Join sentences with weil and dassWhere is ist after weil in “Sie ist traurig, weil er weg ist”?B1Infinitive constructionsInfinitive constructions with 'zu' replace subordinate clauses.

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