Relative pronouns in German

• A relative pronoun is a word which means who, which and that. It is used to introduce a relative clause.

• A relative clause is a part of a sentence which cannot exist by itself. It has to relate back to the noun in the main clause.

• The definite article is used to create a relative pronoun.

• In English, the relative pronoun can be left out of the sentence but in German they must be included.

• Relative pronouns subordinate the verb. Subordinating a verb sends it to the end of the sentence.

A relative pronoun is a word which means who, which and that and refers back to a noun in a main clause.

In English they can be left out. For example:

• I have a sister (who is) called Anna.

In German, a relative pronoun cannot be left out. For example:

• Ich habe eine Schwester, die Anna heißt. I have a sister who is called Anna.

The definite article is used to create a relative pronoun:

Relative pronouns are used to add more information about a noun.

A relative pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun it is relating to:

der Mannthe man → der

die Freundinthe friend → die

das Meerschweinchenthe guinea pig → das

die Kinderthe children → die

• Das ist der Mann, der in Berlin wohnt. - That is the man who lives in Berlin.

• Ich habe eine Freundin, die Zaib heißt. - I have a friend who is called Zaib.

• Ich habe ein Meerschweinchen, das sehr niedlich ist. - I have a guinea pig which is very cute.

• Sie hat zwei Kinder, die Lukas und Lotte heißen. - She has two children who are called Lukas and Lotte.

A relative pronoun is also determined by the case.

Nominative

• Das ist der Mann, der… That is the man who…

• Das ist die Frau, die… That is the lady who…

• Das ist das Auto, das… That is the car which…

• Das sind die Kinder, die… Those are the children who…

Accusative

In the accusative case, it is only the masculine relative pronoun which changes from der → den.

• Der Film, den ich gestern im Kino gesehen habe, war ziemlich spannend. - The film that I saw yesterday in the cinema, was quite exciting.

der Film becomes the direct object in the relative clause because ich is the subject of the sentence. The accusative den is needed to refer back to Film.

Dative

helfen to help is a verb which takes the dative case.

• Die Frau, der ich helfe, ist meine Großmutter. - The lady, (whom) I help, is my grandmother.

• Die Schüler, denen der Lehrer hilft, sind sehr fleißig. - The pupils (whom) the teacher helps are very hard-working.

Which relative pronoun is needed to complete these sentences?

Relative pronouns subordinate the verb which means:

• a comma is needed before the relative pronoun
• the verb moves to the end of the sentence.

In a simple sentence, the verb is at the end of the relative clause:

• Ich habe einen Vater, der Paul heißt. - I have a dad who is called Paul.

• Das ist die Frau, die ein schönes Kleid trägt. - That is the lady who is wearing a lovely dress.

• Das ist das Auto, das sehr schnell ist. - That is the car which is very fast.

If a relative clause is used in the middle of a sentence to add more detail, the verb-comma-verb rule applies:

• Das Buch, das ich lese, ist eine Biografie. - The book, which I am reading, is a biography.

• Meine Eltern, die Julia und Tolu heißen, sind sehr sportlich. - My parents, who are called Julia and Tolu, are very sporty.

• Der Film, den ich letzte Woche gesehen habe, war wirklich unterhaltsam. - The film, which I watched last week, was really entertaining.

Put these sentences into the correct order.

Take this quiz to check your understanding of how to use relative pronouns.