Relative clauses with relative pronouns (der/die/das, denen, dessen, etc.)

This guide explains how German relative clauses work and how to choose and decline the relative pronouns (der, die, das, den, dem, dessen, deren, denen, etc.). Examples are given in German with English translations. Read this as a practical manual: what a relative clause is, when to use one, how to form the relative pronoun correctly, and the common pitfalls to avoid.

What is a relative clause?

A relative clause (Relativsatz) gives extra information about a noun (the antecedent) without starting a new sentence. It is introduced by a relative pronoun. In English we use who / which / that; in German we use forms of der/die/das or other relative pronouns.

German example:
Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Bruder. (The man who is standing there is my brother.)

- "Der Mann" is the antecedent (the noun being described).
- ", der dort steht," is the relative clause introduced by "der".
- The relative pronoun refers back to the antecedent and connects the two parts.

When do I use relative clauses?

Use relative clauses to:
- Give identifying information: "Das ist die Frau, die den Preis gewonnen hat." (That is the woman who won the prize.)
- Add extra, non-essential information: "Herr Meier, der gestern da war, wohnt nebenan." (Mr. Meier, who was here yesterday, lives next door.)
- Avoid repeating nouns: instead of "Das ist ein Auto. Das Auto ist rot." -> "Das ist ein Auto, das rot ist." (That is a car that is red.)

Important punctuation note: In German a relative clause is always set off by commas. In English commas depend on whether the clause is restrictive or non-restrictive; in German you always use commas.

Basic rule for forming German relative pronouns

The relative pronoun must agree with the antecedent in gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural). The case of the relative pronoun (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) depends on the role that the pronoun has inside the relative clause — not on its role in the main clause.

Simple formula:
- Gender & number = same as the antecedent
- Case = function of the pronoun inside the relative clause

Example to show agreement vs case:
Die Frau, der ich gestern geholfen habe, ist nett.
- Antecedent: die Frau (feminine, singular) -> relative pronoun must be feminine singular -> forms: die / der / deren depending on case.
- Inside the relative clause "ich habe ___ geholfen" the blank is indirect object (dative) -> use "der": "der ich gestern geholfen habe" -> English: "The woman whom I helped yesterday is nice."

Quick declension reference (useful to memorize)

Examples for each gender, number, and case

Masculine (der)
- Nominative (subject inside relative clause):
Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Vater. (The man who is standing there is my father.)
- Accusative (direct object inside relative clause):
Der Mann, den ich gestern sah, ist mein Vater. (The man whom I saw yesterday is my father.)
- Dative (indirect object inside relative clause):
Der Mann, dem ich geholfen habe, ist mein Nachbar. (The man to whom I gave help / whom I helped is my neighbor.)
- Genitive (possession):
Der Mann, dessen Wagen gestohlen wurde, ist traurig. (The man whose car was stolen is sad.)

Feminine (die)
- Nominative:
Die Frau, die singt, ist meine Lehrerin. (The woman who sings is my teacher.)
- Accusative:
Die Frau, die ich gestern sah, ist meine Lehrerin. (The woman whom I saw yesterday is my teacher.)
- Dative:
Die Frau, der ich das Buch gab, ist meine Lehrerin. (The woman to whom I gave the book is my teacher.)
- Genitive:
Die Frau, deren Sohn krank ist, bleibt zu Hause. (The woman whose son is ill stays at home.)

Neuter (das)
- Nominative:
Das Kind, das lacht, ist glücklich. (The child who/that is laughing is happy.)
- Accusative:
Das Buch, das ich gekauft habe, ist interessant. (The book that I bought is interesting.)
- Dative:
Das Kind, dem ich das Spielzeug gebe, freut sich. (The child to whom I give the toy is happy.)
- Genitive:
Das Haus, dessen Dach neu ist, gehört uns. (The house whose roof is new belongs to us.)

Plural (die / denen / deren)
- Nominative:
Die Studenten, die lernen, bestehen die Prüfung. (The students who are studying pass the exam.)
- Accusative:
Die Bücher, die ich gestern gekauft habe, sind hier. (The books that I bought yesterday are here.)
- Dative:
Die Freunde, denen ich vertraue, helfen mir. (The friends whom I trust help me.)
- Genitive:
Die Familien, deren Häuser beschädigt wurden, müssen umziehen. (The families whose houses were damaged have to move.)

Word order inside relative clauses

Relative clauses are subordinate clauses, so the conjugated verb (or verb cluster) goes to the end of the clause.

Examples:
- Present: Der Mann, den ich kenne, wohnt hier. (The man whom I know lives here.) — "kenne" stays at the end of the relative clause.
- Perfect: Das Buch, das ich gelesen habe, war spannend. (The book that I have read / read was exciting.) — verb cluster "gelesen habe" is at the end.
- Modal or passive: Der Film, der gesehen werden muss, ist lang. (The film that must be seen is long.) — verb cluster at end.

Relative pronouns with prepositions

If the relative clause requires a preposition, the preposition appears before the relative pronoun. The case of the pronoun follows the preposition.

Examples:
- Preposition + accusative: Das Thema, über das wir sprechen, ist wichtig. (The topic that/which we are talking about is important.)
- Preposition + dative: Die Stadt, in der ich wohne, ist groß. (The city in which I live is big.)
- Preposition + dative (people): Die Frau, mit der ich gesprochen habe, ist freundlich. (The woman I spoke with is friendly.)
- Plural, preposition + dative: Die Kollegen, mit denen ich arbeite, sind nett. (The colleagues I work with are nice.)

Important: Do not leave the preposition at the end (no preposition stranding like in English). German requires the preposition to be placed before the relative pronoun.

Also: avoid contracting preposition + pronoun inside a relative clause. For example, "Das Haus, in dem ich wohne" is correct. "Das Haus, im ich wohne" is incorrect.

Genitive relative pronouns and their spoken alternatives

Genitive relative pronouns (dessen, deren) show possession ("whose"):
- Der Mann, dessen Auto kaputt ist, ... (The man whose car is broken ...) — masculine/neuter uses "dessen".
- Die Frau, deren Kind fehlt, ... (The woman whose child is missing ...) — feminine/plural uses "deren".

In spoken or informal German it's common to replace a genitive relative phrase with "von + dative":
- Formal: Der Mann, dessen Auto gestohlen wurde, ist verärgert.
- Informal: Der Mann, von dem das Auto gestohlen wurde, ist verärgert.

Both are correct; the genitive sounds more formal/written, "von dem/der/denen" is common in speech.

Using "was" as a relative pronoun (special cases)

"Was" can be used as a relative pronoun in specific situations:
- After indefinite pronouns: alles, etwas, nichts, vieles, nichts etc.
Beispiel: Alles, was du brauchst, steht auf dem Tisch. (Everything that you need is on the table.)
- After words like das Beste, das Einzige, das Schlimmste: Das Beste, was wir tun können, ist warten. (The best thing we can do is wait.)
- When the antecedent is the entire preceding clause: Er hat gelogen, was mich überraschte. (He lied, which surprised me.)

Do not use "was" for a definite noun antecedent (person or thing). Wrong: "Die Frau, was ich traf..." -> Correct: "Die Frau, die ich traf..."

"wo" and "wor-" compounds in colloquial speech

In spoken German people often use "wo" + preposition-like compounds (wonach, worüber, wovon) instead of the formal preposition + relative pronoun.

Examples:
- Colloquial: Das Haus, wo ich wohne, ist alt. (The house where I live is old.) — Common in spoken German but less formal.
- Formal / standard: Das Haus, in dem ich wohne, ist alt.
- Colloquial: Das Buch, worüber wir gesprochen haben, ist teuer.
- Formal: Das Buch, über das wir gesprochen haben, ist teuer.

For formal written German use the preposition + relative pronoun form.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

1) Choosing the case from the main clause instead of from the relative clause
Wrong: Der Mann, den mir geholfen hat, ist nett.
Correct: Der Mann, der mir geholfen hat, ist nett. (Here the relative pronoun is subject in the relative clause — nominative "der".)

2) Mixing up dessen / deren
Wrong: Die Frau, dessen Sohn krank ist, ... (incorrect gender)
Correct: Die Frau, deren Sohn krank ist, ... ("deren" for feminine)

3) Omitting the comma before the relative clause
Wrong: Das ist der Mann der gestern kam.
Correct: Das ist der Mann, der gestern kam.

4) Using "was" for a definite noun antecedent
Wrong: Das Buch, was ich gekauft habe, ...
Correct: Das Buch, das ich gekauft habe, ...

5) Stranding prepositions like in English or contracting incorrectly inside relative clauses
Wrong: Das Haus, im ich wohne.
Correct: Das Haus, in dem ich wohne.
Wrong: Das Thema, über das wir sprechen, -> "Das Thema, über das wir reden" is fine; but do not move the preposition to the end: "Das Thema, wir sprechen über" is wrong.

6) Using "wer" or "wen" incorrectly as a relative pronoun for a definite antecedent
Wrong: Der Mann, wer hier wohnt, ...
Correct: Der Mann, der hier wohnt, ...
(Note: "wer" is used in indefinite constructions: "Wer spät kommt, ..." but not as a relative pronoun with a specific antecedent.)

Comparison with English and helpful mappings

- English "who" -> German "der/die/das" (depending on gender/number and case inside the relative clause).
The man who is tall -> Der Mann, der groß ist.
- English "which/that" -> German "das/die/der" (depending on gender/number).
The book that I read -> Das Buch, das ich gelesen habe.
- English sometimes omits the relative pronoun in informal speech ("The book I read"); German requires the relative pronoun and the comma: "Das Buch, das ich gelesen habe."

Alternative relative forms: welcher / was / derjenige

- Welcher/welche/welches: an alternative to der/die/das but less common in everyday speech. Example: Das Haus, welches ich gekauft habe, ... (more formal).
- Derjenige/diejenige/dasjenige: means "the one who/that" and is used for emphasis: Derjenige, der früh kommt, bekommt einen Preis. (The one who arrives early gets a prize.)
- Was: see the special cases above (after indefinite pronouns and whole-clause references).

Practical transformations (English -> German) with examples

- English: The man who is talking is my uncle.
German: Der Mann, der spricht, ist mein Onkel.

- English: The book that I bought yesterday is interesting.
German: Das Buch, das ich gestern gekauft habe, ist interessant.

- English: The students whom I helped passed the exam.
German: Die Studenten, denen ich geholfen habe, haben die Prüfung bestanden.

- English: The house whose roof is new belongs to my friend.
German: Das Haus, dessen Dach neu ist, gehört meinem Freund.

- English: Everything that he says is true.
German: Alles, was er sagt, ist wahr.

Glossary (simple definitions)

- Antecedent: the noun that the relative clause describes (e.g., "der Mann").
- Relative pronoun (Relativpronomen): the word that introduces the relative clause (der, die, das, den, dem, dessen, deren, denen, was, welcher etc.).
- Case: the grammatical role (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) that the relative pronoun has inside the relative clause.
- Subordinate clause: a clause that cannot stand alone and normally sends the verb to the end (relative clauses are subordinate).

Final tips for learners

- Always identify the antecedent (gender & number) first. That tells you which set of forms to use.
- Then ask: what does the relative pronoun do in the relative clause? Is it subject (nom), direct object (acc), indirect object (dat), or showing possession (gen)? Pick the case accordingly.
- Remember: German relative clauses are bracketed by commas and have the conjugated verb at the end.
- If you are unsure about the genitive, use "von + dative" in speech: "von dem / von der / von denen".
- Practice with short sentences: swap English who/which/that into German by following the gender/number + case rule.

This summary should help you choose the correct relative pronoun and form clear, correct German relative clauses. If you want, I can give a condensed cheat-sheet or more examples focused on particular cases (prepositions, genitive, "was") to practice mentally.