Relative pronouns (Relativpronomen) are used to connect clauses by referring back to a noun that was previously mentioned. In English, we use words like "who," "whom," "which," and "that".
Example:
Der Mann, der ein rotes Hemd trägt, ist mein Onkel.
(The man who is wearing a red shirt is my uncle.)
Here der is a masculine nominative relative pronoun referring back to "Der Mann" and functioning as the subject of the relative clause.
Forms of German Relative Pronouns
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 |
How to Use Relative Pronouns
In German, relative clauses are introduced by relative pronouns and always end with a verb.
- Die Frau, die dort steht, ist meine Lehrerin. (The woman who is standing there is my teacher.) → here “die dort steht” is the relative clause.
The relative pronoun must agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to, but its case is determined by its function within the relative clause.
Nominative Case
Relative pronoun functions as subject:
- Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer. (The man who is standing there is my teacher.)
- Das Auto, das dort parkt, gehört meinem Vater. (The car that is parked there belongs to my father.)
Accusative Case
Relative pronoun functions as direct object:
- Der Student, den ich kenne, studiert Medizin. (The student whom I know studies medicine.)
- Das Buch, das ich lese, ist sehr interessant. (The book that I am reading is very interesting.)
Dative Case
Relative pronoun functions as indirect object:
- Die Frau, der ich helfe, kommt aus Berlin. (The woman whom I am helping comes from Berlin.)
- Das Restaurant, dem wir einen guten Ruf verdanken, hat heute geschlossen. (The restaurant to which we owe a good reputation is closed today.)
Genitive Case
Relative pronoun functions as possession:
- Der Lehrer, dessen Sohn ich unterrichte, arbeitet an unserer Schule. (The teacher whose son I teach works at our school.)
- Das Haus, dessen Dach neu ist, steht zum Verkauf. (The house whose roof is new is for sale.)
Read more about relative clauses here.