Relative pronouns (Relativpronomen) are used to introduce relative clauses (Relativsätze), which provide additional information about a noun without starting a new sentence. In German, relative pronouns agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they refer to.

1. Formation of Relative Clauses (Relativsätze)

A relative clause is a dependent clause that provides more information about a noun in the main clause.

Example:

• Das ist der Mann, der mir geholfen hat.
  (That is the man who helped me.)
• Ich kenne das Mädchen, das gestern hier war.
  (I know the girl who was here yesterday.)

Key Rule: The relative pronoun takes the gender and number of the noun it refers to but follows the case rules of the relative clause.

Word Order Rule: In a relative clause, the conjugated verb is always placed at the end of the clause.

2. German Relative Pronouns (Relativpronomen)

Relative pronouns in German are similar to definite articles (der, die, das), but they change according to gender, number, and case.

2.1. Relative Pronoun Chart

Examples of Relative Pronouns in Sentences:

1. Nominative:

• • Das ist der Mann, der hier arbeitet. (That is the man who works here.)
  • Hier ist das Buch, das ich lesen möchte. (Here is the book that I want to read.)

2. Accusative:

• • Der Mann, den ich gesehen habe, war sehr nett. (The man whom I saw was very nice.)
  • Das Haus, das wir kaufen möchten, ist groß. (The house that we want to buy is big.)

3. Dative:

• • Der Junge, dem ich geholfen habe, ist mein Freund. (The boy to whom I helped is my friend.)
  • Die Frau, der ich das Geschenk gegeben habe, ist meine Lehrerin. (The woman to whom I gave the gift is my teacher.)

4. Genitive:

• • Der Mann, dessen Auto gestohlen wurde, ist sehr traurig. (The man whose car was stolen is very sad.)
  • Das Mädchen, deren Mutter Lehrerin ist, ist sehr klug. (The girl whose mother is a teacher is very smart.)

3. When to Use Relative Clauses

3.1. Adding Extra Information

Relative clauses provide more information about a noun in the main sentence.

Example:

• Das ist die Frau, die mir geholfen hat. (That is the woman who helped me.)

3.2. Combining Sentences

Instead of two short sentences, German uses relative clauses to combine them.

Separate Sentences:

1. Das ist mein Bruder.
2. Er lebt in Berlin.

Relative Clause:

• Das ist mein Bruder, der in Berlin lebt. (That is my brother who lives in Berlin.)

4. The Different Types of Relative Clauses

4.1. Defining Relative Clauses (Restriktive Relativsätze)

These clauses provide essential information to define the noun.

Example:

• Die Frau, die dort steht, ist meine Lehrerin. (The woman who is standing there is my teacher.)
• Key Point: These clauses do not have commas in English but require commas in German.

4.2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (Weiterführende Relativsätze)

These add extra information that is not necessary to understand the sentence.

Example:

• Mein Bruder, der in Berlin lebt, ist Ingenieur. (My brother, who lives in Berlin, is an engineer.)
• Key Point: These clauses have commas in both English and German.

5. Relative Clauses with Prepositions

When a relative clause contains a preposition, the preposition comes before the relative pronoun.

Examples:

1. Das ist die Frau, mit der ich gesprochen habe. (That is the woman with whom I spoke.)
2. Hier ist das Buch, über das wir gesprochen haben. (Here is the book about which we talked.)

Common Prepositions with Relative Pronouns:

• mit (with) → mit dem/der/dem/denen
• für (for) → für den/die/das/die
• über (about) → über den/die/das/die

6. Summary

• Relative pronouns agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they refer to.
• The case of the relative pronoun is determined by its function in the relative clause.
• Relative clauses always place the verb at the end of the clause.
• German uses commas to separate relative clauses, even when they are defining.
• When a preposition is needed, it is placed before the relative pronoun.