Relative Clauses

Relative clauses (Relativsätze) allow us to provide additional information about a noun without starting a new sentence. They are introduced by relative pronouns and, like all other subordinate clauses, have the verb at the end.

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A relative clause describes a noun and is always set off by commas. The relative pronoun agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to, but its case depends on its function within the relative clause.

How Relative Clauses Work

Relative clauses combine two sentences that share a common element:

Two Separate Sentences	Combined with Relative Clause
Das ist der Mann. Der Mann wohnt in Berlin.	Das ist der Mann, der in Berlin wohnt.
Ich lese das Buch. Ich habe das Buch gekauft.	Ich lese das Buch, das ich gekauft habe.
Die Frau ist nett. Ich helfe der Frau.	Die Frau, der ich helfe, ist nett.

Relative Pronouns: der, die, das

The most common relative pronouns in German are forms of der, die, das. Refer to the lesson on relative pronouns for a refresher but here is a refresher of the declension table according to case and gender/number:

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

Choosing the Correct Relative Pronoun

To choose the correct relative pronoun, you must determine two things:

Gender & Number: Match the noun being described (referred to as the antecedent)

Case: Determined by the pronoun's function within the relative clause

Examples by Case

Case	Example	Explanation
Nominative	Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Vater.	der = subject of the relative clause
Accusative	Das Buch, das ich lese, ist spannend.	das = direct object (I read it)
Dative	Die Frau, der ich helfe, ist krank.	der = indirect object (I help her)
Genitive	Der Mann, dessen Auto rot ist, wohnt hier.	dessen = possessive (whose car)

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Common Mistake: Don't confuse the case of the antecedent with the case of the relative pronoun!

In "Die Frau, der ich helfe", the antecedent Frau is nominative in the main clause, but the relative pronoun der is dative because helfen requires the dative.

Relative Clauses with Prepositions

When the relative pronoun is governed by a preposition, the preposition comes directly before the relative pronoun:

Example	Translation
Der Mann, mit dem ich gesprochen habe, ist nett.	The man with whom I spoke is nice.
Das Thema, über das wir diskutieren, ist wichtig.	The topic about which we are discussing is important.
Die Stadt, in der ich wohne, ist schön.	The city in which I live is beautiful.
Die Freunde, für die ich das mache, sind dankbar.	The friends for whom I'm doing this are grateful.

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Remember: The preposition determines the case of the relative pronoun.

Mit requires dative → mit dem; für requires accusative → für die.

Position of Relative Clauses

Relative clauses come directly after the noun they describe. This can place them in the middle of the main clause:

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Vater.

Das Buch, das ich gestern gekauft habe, ist sehr interessant.

Exception: Separable Verbs

The relative clause after the separable prefix:

Ich rufe den Freund an, der Akkordeon spielt.

Special Relative Pronoun: was

Use was (not das) when referring to:

Referring to...	Example	Translation
Indefinite pronouns (alles, etwas, nichts, vieles)	Alles, was du sagst, ist wahr.	Everything that you say is true.
Superlatives used as nouns	Das Beste, was mir passiert ist...	The best thing that happened to me...
An entire clause	Er kam zu spät, was mich ärgerte.	He came late, which annoyed me.

Special Relative Pronoun: wo

Use wo to refer to places, often replacing in dem/der:

Die Stadt, wo ich geboren bin, ist klein.

(The city where I was born is small.)

Das Haus, wo wir früher wohnten, steht noch.

(The house where we used to live is still standing.)

Word Order in Relative Clauses

As subordinate clauses, relative clauses follow standard subordinate clause word order, i.e., the conjugated verb goes to the end of the relative clause. See subordinate conjunctions lesson for more details.

Steps to Form a Relative Clause

Identify the noun you want to describe (the antecedent)

Determine its gender and number → this determines the relative pronoun's form

Determine the case based on the pronoun's role in the relative clause (subject, object, etc.)

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If you're unsure about the case, try turning the relative clause back into a standalone sentence. Der Mann, dem ich helfe → Ich helfe dem Mann → dative!

Place the relative clause directly after the noun, set off by commas

Put the verb at the end of the relative clause

Example:

Die Leute sind meine Nachbarn. Ich spreche oft mit den Leuten über Politik.

With relative clause: Die Leute, mit denen ich oft über Politik spreche, sind meine Nachbarn.