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.
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.

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

Der Hund, ___ im Garten spielt, gehört mir.
Insert the correct relative pronoun.
Answer
der — Hund = masculine, nominative (subject in the relative clause)
Die Stadt, in ___ ich wohne, ist klein.
Choose the correct relative pronoun.
1. der
2. die
3. dem
4. den
Answer
der — Stadt = feminine, dative after 'in' (location)
Das Auto, ___ er gekauft hat, ist rot.
Insert the correct relative pronoun.
Answer
das — Auto = neuter, accusative (object)
Die Kinder, den im Park spielen, sind laut.
Correct the mistake.
Answer
Die Kinder, die im Park spielen, sind laut. — Kinder = plural, nominative → die
Der Lehrer, ___ ich gefragt habe, war nett.
Choose the correct relative pronoun.
1. der
2. den
3. dem
4. dessen
Answer
den — Lehrer = masculine, accusative (object)
Die Freunde, mit ___ ich reise, sind lustig.
Insert the correct relative pronoun.
Answer
denen — Plural, dative after 'mit' → denen

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Sentence structure

The verb in second position A1Where is the verb after “Heute”?→Nicht and kein A1What does “nicht” do in these sentences?→Asking questions A1Why does one question start with “Wo” and another with “Kann”?→In, auf, unter: place or direction A2Why is it “in die Schule” but “in einem Büro”?→Join sentences with weil and dass A2Where is ist after weil in “Sie ist traurig, weil er weg ist”?→Infinitive constructions B1Infinitive constructions with 'zu' replace subordinate clauses.→

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