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Relative clauses are subordinate clauses that provide additional information about a noun in the main clause. They function like adjectives, adding detail and specificity. In this chapter, we’ll learn how to form and use relative clauses in German.

What is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause is a clause that modifies a noun in the main clause. It starts with a relative pronoun (der, die, das, welcher, welche, welches) or a relative adverb (wo, wann, warum).

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns connect the relative clause to the main clause and act as the subject, direct object, or indirect object within the relative clause. The relative pronoun must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies (its antecedent) in the main clause. The case of the relative pronoun depends on its function within the relative clause itself.

The most common relative pronouns are derived from the definite articles der, die, das. The case of the relative pronoun depends on what role it plays within the relative clause. Here’s how the form changes:

For masculine nouns:

In the nominative case (when the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause), use der.

In the accusative case (when the relative pronoun is the direct object of the relative clause), use den.

In the dative case (when the relative pronoun is the indirect object of the relative clause), use dem.

In the genitive case (when the relative pronoun shows possession), use dessen.

For feminine nouns:

In the nominative case, use die.

In the accusative case, use die.

In the dative case, use der.

In the genitive case, use deren.

For neuter nouns:

In the nominative case, use das.

In the accusative case, use das.

In the dative case, use dem.

In the genitive case, use dessen.

For plural nouns:

In the nominative case, use die.

In the accusative case, use die.

In the dative case, use denen.

In the genitive case, use deren.

Word Order in Relative Clauses

The word order in relative clauses is different from that in main clauses. The conjugated verb always comes at the end of the clause. If there is a helping verb (like in the Perfekt tense) or a modal verb, both verbs are at the end, with the conjugated helping verb or modal verb coming last.

Examples of Relative Clauses

Let’s break down some examples:

Nominative Relative Pronoun (Subject in Relative Clause):

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Vater. (dare mahn, dare dort shtate, ist main fah-ter) – The man who is standing there is my father.

(The noun being described is «der Mann», so we use «der» as the relative pronoun in nominative case because the man is the subject within the relative clause.)

Die Frau, die singt, ist meine Schwester. (dee frau, dee zingt, ist mai-ne shves-ter) – The woman who is singing is my sister.

(The noun being described is «die Frau», so we use «die» as the relative pronoun in nominative case because the woman is the subject within the relative clause.)

Accusative Relative Pronoun (Direct Object in Relative Clause):

Das Buch, das ich lese, ist sehr interessant. (das booh, das ihh lay-ze, ist zair in-te-res-sant) – The book that I am reading is very interesting.

(The noun being described is «das Buch», so we use «das» as the relative pronoun in accusative case because the book is the direct object within the relative clause that «ich» am acting upon.)

Der Mann, den ich gesehen habe, ist mein Nachbar. (dare man, den ihh ge-zay-en hah-be, ist main nahh-bar) – The man whom I saw is my neighbor.

(The noun being described is «der Mann», so we would use «der» but the man is the direct object of my seeing, so we change it to the accusative den.)

Dative Relative Pronoun (Indirect Object in Relative Clause):

Der Mann, dem ich helfe, ist krank. (dare mahn, dame ihh hel-fe, ist krank) – The man whom I am helping is sick.

(Helping is always in the dative case. Here, the man is the receiver of my help, thus he is in dative case and so the pronoun becomes dem.)

Die Frau, der ich das Buch gegeben habe, ist meine Lehrerin. (dee frau, dare ihh das buuh ge-gay-ben hah-be, ist mai-ne lay-re-rin) – The woman, to whom I gave the book, is my teacher.

(The noun being described is «die Frau». Giving is always in the dative, thus the pronoun becomes «der». )

Genitive Relative Pronoun (Possession in Relative Clause):

Der Mann, dessen Auto hier steht, ist mein Chef. (dare mahn, de-sen au-to heer shtate, ist main shef) – The man, whose car is standing here, is my boss.

(dessen is used to show that the car belongs to the man)

Die Frau, deren Kind krank ist, ist sehr besorgt. (dee frau, day-ren kint krank ist, ist zair be-zorgt) – The woman, whose child is sick, is very worried.

(deren is used to show that the child belongs to the woman)

Using «welcher, welche, welches» as Relative Pronouns

«welcher,» «welche,» and «welches» are alternative relative pronouns that are often used, especially in more formal writing. They function similarly to «der,» «die,» and «das,» but they are often considered more elegant. They are declined similarly to «der, die, das» in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases.

Der Mann, welcher dort steht, ist mein Vater.

Das Buch, welches ich lese, ist sehr interessant.

Die Frau, welcher ich helfe, ist meine Nachbarin.

Relative Adverbs

Relative adverbs introduce relative clauses that provide information about time, place, or reason.

wo (where): Indicates location.

Das Haus, wo ich wohne, ist sehr alt. (das haus, vo ihh vo-ne, ist zair ahlt) – The house where I live is very old.

wann (when): Indicates time.

Der Tag, wann ich Geburtstag habe, ist im Juni. (dare tahk, van ihh ge-boots-tahk hah-be, ist im yoo-nee) – The day when I have my birthday is in June.

warum (why): Indicates reason. (Often avoided. Use «weshalb» or rephrase the sentence)

Using Prepositions in Relative Clauses

When a relative clause requires a preposition, the preposition comes before the relative pronoun. The case of the relative pronoun is determined by the preposition.

Der Tisch, auf dem das Buch liegt, ist alt. (dare tish, auf dame das booh leekt, ist ahlt) – The table, on which the book is lying, is old.

(auf + dem = auf dem)

Die Person, mit der ich spreche, ist meine Lehrerin. (dee per-zoon, mit dare ihh shpreh-he, ist mai-ne lay-re-rin) – The person, with whom I am speaking, is my teacher.

(mit + der = mit der)

Contractions with «wo»

In spoken and informal written German, «wo» often contracts with prepositions:

wo + in = worin (in which)

wo + an = woran (on which)

wo + auf = worauf (on which)

wo + mit = womit (with which)

wo + von = wovon (of which/about which)

Examples with Contractions

Das ist das Buch, worin ich gelesen habe. – That’s the book in which I was reading.

Ich weiß nicht, wovon du sprichst. – I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Punctuation

Relative clauses are always separated from the main clause by commas.

Word Bank

Relativsatz (re-la-teef-zats) – Relative Clause

Relativpronomen (re-la-teef-pro-no-men) – Relative Pronoun

der, die, das – who, which, that

wo – where

wann – when

Exercises

Combine the following pairs of sentences into one sentence using a relative clause:

Der Mann ist mein Vater. Er steht dort.

Das Buch ist sehr interessant. Ich lese es.

Die Frau ist meine Lehrerin. Ich helfe ihr.

Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronoun (der, die, das, den, dem, dessen, deren):

Der Film, ______ ich gestern gesehen habe, war toll.

Die Frau, ______ Mann Arzt ist, arbeitet hier.

Das Haus, ______ im Garten steht, ist sehr alt.

Die Kinder, ______ spielen, sind meine Nachbarn.

Translate the following sentences into German, using relative clauses:

The man who is standing there is my father.

The book that I am reading is very interesting.

The woman to whom I gave the book is my teacher.

The house where I live is very old.

I don’t know what you are talking about.

Rewrite 3 sentences using «welcher, welche, welches» instead of «der, die, das»

This concludes Chapter 14! You now have a good understanding of how to form and use relative clauses in German. They add detail and complexity to your writing and speech.