Relative Pronouns in German

This section explains Relative Pronouns in German and includes foundation and higher tier examples. 

Introduction to Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are used to link a dependent clause (a relative clause) to a main clause. They are used to give more information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause. In English, relative pronouns include who, which, that, and whose.

In German, the relative pronoun must agree with the noun it refers to in gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural). It also takes the case (nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive) based on its role in the relative clause.

Forms of Relative Pronouns in German

Here are the relative pronouns in German, depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun they refer to:

Relative Pronouns in Sentences

Nominative Case

The relative pronoun is in the nominative case when it is the subject of the relative clause.

Examples:

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer.
(The man who is standing there is my teacher.)

Die Frau, die das Buch liest, ist meine Mutter.
(The woman who is reading the book is my mother.)

Das Kind, das im Park spielt, ist mein Bruder.
(The child who is playing in the park is my brother.)

Accusative Case

The relative pronoun is in the accusative case when it is the object of the relative clause.

Examples:

Der Film, den wir gestern gesehen haben, war spannend.
(The film that we watched yesterday was exciting.)

Die Tasche, die ich gekauft habe, ist sehr teuer.
(The bag that I bought is very expensive.)

Das Buch, das du liest, ist interessant.
(The book that you are reading is interesting.)

Dative Case

The relative pronoun is in the dative case when it is the indirect object in the relative clause.

Examples:

Der Mann, dem ich das Buch gegeben habe, ist mein Freund.
(The man to whom I gave the book is my friend.)

Die Kinder, denen ich geholfen habe, sind froh.
(The children to whom I helped are happy.)

Das Hotel, in dem wir übernachtet haben, war sehr schön.
(The hotel in which we stayed was very beautiful.)

Genitive Case

The relative pronoun is in the genitive case when it indicates possession or a relationship between two nouns.

Examples:

Die Frau, deren Auto vor der Tür steht, ist meine Nachbarin.
(The woman whose car is parked in front of the door is my neighbour.)

Das Haus, dessen Fenster ich geputzt habe, ist alt.
(The house whose windows I cleaned is old.)

Die Kinder, deren Eltern uns kennen, sind sehr nett.
(The children whose parents know us are very nice.)

Relative Pronouns for People and Things

• Who (referring to people) = der, die, das
• Which (referring to things or animals) = der, die, das
• Whose (referring to possession) = dessen (masculine/neuter), deren (feminine/plural)

Examples of Sentences Using Relative Pronouns

Foundation Tier:

Der Junge, der dort sitzt, ist mein Bruder.
(The boy who is sitting there is my brother.)

Die Katze, die du siehst, ist süß.
(The cat that you see is cute.)

Das Auto, das wir kaufen wollen, ist rot.
(The car that we want to buy is red.)

Higher Tier:

Die Lehrerin, deren Tochter in meiner Klasse ist, ist sehr nett.
(The teacher whose daughter is in my class is very kind.)

Die Stadt, in der ich wohne, ist sehr alt.
(The city in which I live is very old.)

Die Geschichte, über die wir gesprochen haben, war sehr interessant.
(The story that we spoke about was very interesting.)

Omitting the Relative Pronoun

In German, unlike in English, the relative pronoun can sometimes be omitted, especially in informal language or when it is in the accusative or dative case.

Examples:

Der Film, wir ihn gesehen haben, war spannend.
(The film (that) we watched was exciting.)
Here, the relative pronoun "den" can be omitted in spoken German, especially in casual contexts.

Die Frau, ich ihr geholfen habe, ist meine Tante.
(The woman (to whom) I helped is my aunt.)
Here, the relative pronoun "der" can be omitted in informal contexts.

Relative Pronouns with Prepositions

When a preposition is used in the relative clause, the preposition must come before the relative pronoun. The case of the relative pronoun will depend on the preposition (accusative or dative).

Examples:

Das Buch, von dem ich dir erzählt habe, ist spannend.
(The book about which I told you is exciting.)

Die Stadt, in der ich wohne, ist sehr schön.
(The city in which I live is very beautiful.)

Der Mann, mit dem ich gesprochen habe, ist sehr nett.
(The man with whom I spoke is very kind.)

Key Vocabulary:

• der, die, das = the relative pronouns (who, which, that)
• dessen = whose (masculine/neuter)
• deren = whose (feminine/plural)
• wessen = whose (used in questions, rare in relative clauses)

Summary

• Relative pronouns are used to connect a relative clause to the main clause, giving additional information about a noun.
• They must agree with the noun they refer to in gender and number.
• The case of the relative pronoun is determined by its function in the relative clause (nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive).
• In German, relative pronouns change according to gender, number, and case.

Foundation and Higher Tier Notes:

• At the foundation tier, focus on recognising and using relative pronouns in basic sentences, primarily using nominative and accusative cases.
• At the higher tier, be comfortable using relative pronouns in more complex sentences, including those with prepositions and in all four cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive). Practice using relative pronouns with more advanced sentence structures and vocabulary.