FormNomen, der/die/das (Nominativ) … Verb (Ende),
Meaning and usage
A relative clause tells you more about a noun. It starts with a relative pronoun, which in most forms looks like the definite article: der, die, das, and die in the plural. The pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun it refers back to. When it is the subject of its own clause, it is nominative: der Mann, der dort steht, die Frau, die hier wohnt, das Kind, das weint.
The conjugated verb goes to the end of the relative clause, and commas close the clause off on both sides. A common mistake is keeping main-clause order, as in der Mann, der steht dort. German also never leaves the pronoun out, even where English can: the book I read is das Buch, das ich lese.
Examples 5
Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Chef.
The man who is standing there is my boss.
Dieses Buch handelt von einem König, der seine Krone verliert.
This book is about a king who loses his crown.
Die beiden Männer, die auf der Bank saßen, waren Amerikaner.
The two men sitting on the bench were Americans.
In dem Laden gab es keine Hüte, die mir passten.
There were no hats in that store that fit me.
Ich brauche ein Stück Holz, das drei Zoll dick ist.
I need a piece of wood about three inches thick.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
Kennst du eine Frau, gut Spanisch spricht?
Show answer
Correct answer: die
The pronoun refers back to eine Frau, which is feminine, and it is the subject of spricht, so it is nominative: eine Frau, die gut Spanisch spricht.
- das would refer back to a neuter noun such as das Kind.
- den is the masculine accusative, but Frau is feminine and the pronoun is the subject.
- der would refer back to a masculine noun; as a feminine form it is dative, but the woman is the subject here.
In this topic: Relative clauses
- der Mann, der dort steht who, which, that: the pronoun is the subject
- der Mann, den ich kenne relative pronoun as the object: den, die, das
- der Mann, dem ich helfe; die Kinder, denen … relative pronoun in the dative: dem, der, denen
- der Kollege, mit dem ich arbeite relative clause with a preposition: mit dem, für die
- der Mann, dessen Auto …; die Frau, deren Sohn … whose: dessen and deren
- alles, was …; das, was … was as a relative pronoun: alles, was; das, was
- die Stadt, wo ich wohne where: wo after a place
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.