Grammar Guides / German / Relative Clauses (Relativsätze)

🔗 Relative Clauses (Relativsätze)

Building complex sentences with clauses that describe nouns

B1 10 min read 4 sections

What Are Relative Clauses?

A relative clause (Relativsatz) is a subordinate clause that provides more information about a noun. In English: "The man who lives next door is friendly." In German, relative clauses work similarly but with two crucial differences: (1) the verb goes to the END of the relative clause, and (2) the relative clause is always separated from the main clause by a comma. The relative pronoun must agree with the noun it describes in gender and number, but it takes the case required by its role WITHIN the relative clause.

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer.The man who stands there is my teacher. (verb "steht" goes to end of the relative clause)

Tip: Two things to always check: (1) What is the gender/number of the noun being described? (2) What role does the pronoun play inside the relative clause (subject, direct object, etc.)?

Relative Pronouns

German relative pronouns look almost identical to the definite articles, with a few exceptions in the dative plural and the genitive. Here is the complete table:

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der	die	das	die
Accusative	den	die	das	die
Dative	dem	der	dem	denen
Genitive	dessen	deren	dessen	deren

Tip: The only forms that differ from the normal definite articles are: dative plural "denen" (instead of "den") and the entire genitive row (dessen/deren). Everything else is identical to der/die/das.

Choosing the Right Case

Choosing the correct relative pronoun requires two steps. Step 1: Identify the noun being described — this gives you the gender and number. Step 2: Determine the pronoun's role inside the relative clause — this gives you the case.

Noun	Role in Relative Clause	Case	Full Sentence
der Mann (masc.)	subject (he stands)	Nominative → der	Der Mann, der dort steht, ist nett.
der Mann (masc.)	direct object (I see him)	Accusative → den	Der Mann, den ich sehe, ist nett.
die Frau (fem.)	indirect object (I give to her)	Dative → der	Die Frau, der ich das Buch gebe, ist meine Lehrerin.
das Kind (neut.)	possessor (whose toy)	Genitive → dessen	Das Kind, dessen Spielzeug kaputt ist, weint.

Tip: A common mistake is matching the case to the noun's role in the MAIN clause. Remember: the case comes from the pronoun's role INSIDE the relative clause. "Der Mann, den ich sehe" — "Mann" is nominative in the main clause, but the pronoun is accusative because "ich sehe ihn" (I see him).

wo, was, and wo(r)+Preposition

In some cases, German uses "wo," "was," or "wo(r)+preposition" instead of a standard relative pronoun. "wo" replaces "in + dative" for places: Die Stadt, wo ich wohne. (The city where I live.) This is increasingly common in modern German. "was" refers to indefinite things, superlatives, or entire clauses: Alles, was ich brauche. (Everything that I need.) Das Beste, was passieren kann. (The best thing that can happen.) Er kam spät, was mich ärgerte. (He came late, which annoyed me.) "wo(r)+preposition" replaces a preposition + relative pronoun when referring to things (not people): Das, worüber ich spreche. (That which I'm talking about.) Das Thema, wofür ich mich interessiere. (The topic I'm interested in.)

Tip: "wo" is becoming more popular than "in dem/in der" for places in everyday German. "was" is required after: alles, etwas, nichts, das (when meaning "that which"), and superlatives. For people, always use the standard relative pronoun with the preposition: Der Mann, mit dem ich spreche (NOT "womit").

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🔗 Relative Clauses (Relativsätze)

What Are Relative Clauses?

Relative Pronouns

Choosing the Right Case

wo, was, and wo(r)+Preposition

Practice with Interactive Quizzes

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