Master German Relative Clauses: Examples and Free Quiz

What are Relative Clauses, and How to Use Them?

Relative clauses add information about a noun or pronoun mentioned in the main clause. They use relative pronouns that agree with the antecedent in gender, number, and case.

Example: “Der Mann, der das Buch schreibt, heißt Tom.” (The man who writes the book is called Tom.)

Relative Pronoun Gender

German has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Relative pronouns must match the gender and number of their antecedent. Common forms: “der” (masculine), “die” (feminine/plural), “das” (neuter).

Relative Clauses with Different Cases

The form of the relative pronoun depends on its case (Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative). The case is determined by the role of the pronoun in the relative clause.

Nominative Case

Nominative: der (m), die (f/pl), das (n)

Example Sentences (Nominative)

German	English
Der Mann, der ins Kino geht, heißt Tom.	The man who goes to the cinema is called Tom.
Die Frau, die eine Handtasche hat, fährt mit dem Bus.	The woman who has a handbag takes the bus.
Das Kind, das 8 Jahre alt ist, geht zur Schule.	The child who is 8 years old goes to school.

Genitive Case

Genitive: dessen (m/n), deren (f/pl)

Example Sentences (Genitive)

German	English
Der Mann, dessen Auto schnell fährt, ist Anwalt.	The man whose car drives fast is a lawyer.
Die Frau, deren Haus schön ist, lebt in Köln.	The woman whose house is nice lives in Cologne.
Das Kind, deren Freunde die gleiche Schule besuchen, treibt Sport.	The child whose friends attend the same school likes sports.

Dative Case

Dative: dem (m/n), der (f), denen (pl)

Example Sentences (Dative)

German	English
Der Kollege, mit dem du arbeitest, heißt Tim.	The colleague you work with is called Tim.
Die Studentin, mit der du ins Kino gehst, reist gern.	The student you go to the cinema with likes to travel.
Die Freunde, mit denen wir sprechen, sind freundlich.	The friends we speak with are friendly.

Accusative Case

Accusative: den (m), das (n), die (f/pl)

Example Sentences (Accusative)

German	English
Der Student, den du siehst, studiert Medizin.	The student you see studies medicine.
Die Frau, die ich kenne, wohnt in Berlin.	The woman I know lives in Berlin.
Das Buch, das du liest, ist interessant.	The book you are reading is interesting.

How to Form Relative Clauses in German?

Relative clauses are subordinate clauses. The verb goes to the end. If a preposition appears, it precedes the relative pronoun.

• Der Mann, der nach Hause geht, isst Eis. (The man who goes home eats ice cream.)
• Die Frau, die du siehst, heißt Tina. (The woman you see is called Tina.)

German Relative Clauses with Prepositions

With prepositions, the pronoun still matches in gender and number, but the preposition moves in front of it.

• Das Auto, mit dem der Mann fährt, ist teuer. (The car with which the man drives is expensive.)
• Das Haus, in dem wir wohnen, ist groß. (The house in which we live is big.)

Relative Pronouns with wo, wohin, woher

Use “wo” to indicate where something is located, “wohin” to show where something is going, and “woher” to show where something is coming from. These forms can also introduce relative clauses that provide location or direction information.

Example Sentences (wo, wohin, woher)

German	English
Der Ort, wo ich lebe, ist sehr ruhig.	The place where I live is very quiet.
Die Stadt, wohin wir reisen, ist wunderschön.	The city to which we are traveling is beautiful.
Das Dorf, woher er kommt, ist klein.	The village from which he comes is small.

Relative Pronouns with wer, wem, wen

“Wer” (who – nominative), “wem” (whom – dative), and “wen” (whom – accusative) refer mostly to people. They help indicate the case based on the pronoun’s role in the clause.

“Wer” is the subject (nominative). “Wem” indicates an indirect object (dative), and “wen” indicates a direct object (accusative).

Example Sentences (wer, wem, wen)

German	English
Ich frage mich, wer kommt.	I wonder who is coming.
Die Frau fragt den Mann, wem er hilft.	The woman asks the man whom he is helping.
Der Junge fragt das Mädchen, wen sie einlädt.	The boy asks the girl whom she invites.

Relative Pronouns with was

“Was” stands for “what” and often refers to things, ideas, or entire clauses, not people. It can introduce a relative clause that gives more details about something non-human.

Example Sentences (was)

German	English
Das, was mir gefällt, ist Reisen.	What pleases me is traveling.
Alles, was du brauchst, ist Geduld.	All that you need is patience.
Das, was er sagte, war interessant.	What he said was interesting.

German Relative Clauses in Passive

Relative clauses can appear in the passive voice. The main difference is the placement of the participle and the auxiliary verb “werden” at the end of the clause. The relative pronoun still agrees with its antecedent, and the sentence structure remains that of a subordinate clause.

• Aktiv: Das Haus, das der Bauarbeiter baut, ist groß. (Active: The house that the worker builds is big.)
• Passiv: Das Haus, das von dem Bauarbeiter gebaut wird, ist groß. (Passive: The house that is being built by the worker is big.)

In the passive relative clause, “gebaut” (the past participle) and “wird” (the auxiliary) appear at the end. This pattern is consistent with other German subordinate clauses in the passive.

Example Sentences (Passive)

German	English
Der Brief, der von der Sekretärin geschrieben wird, ist wichtig.	The letter that is being written by the secretary is important.
Die Brücke, die von den Arbeitern repariert wird, ist alt.	The bridge that is being repaired by the workers is old.
Das Bild, das von dem Künstler gemalt wird, ist schön.	The picture that is being painted by the artist is beautiful.

German Relative Clauses Quiz

Test your knowledge with of relative clauses with our Quiz here.

Conclusion

German relative clauses help add detail and clarity. By choosing the correct relative pronoun and placing the verb at the end, you create more precise statements. Practicing these forms and exploring alternatives like adjective or participle phrases will improve your fluency.

FAQ:

1. Do I always put the verb at the end of a relative clause?

Yes. Relative clauses are subordinate clauses, and the verb typically goes at the end.

2. How do I pick the correct relative pronoun?

Choose based on the gender, number, and case of the antecedent and the role it plays in the relative clause.

3. Can I use “was” for persons?

Usually “was” refers to things, ideas, or concepts, not persons.

4. Are genitive relative clauses common?

They exist, but speakers often avoid them and use other structures.

5. What are alternatives to relative clauses?

Instead of a relative clause, you can use adjectives or participle phrases for a more concise sentence. For example:

• Relative clause: Das Haus, das groß ist, ist schön.
• Alternative: Das große Haus ist schön.
• Relative clause: Das Haus, das die Frau gekauft hat, ist schön.
• Alternative: Das von der Frau gekaufte Haus ist schön.

6. How can I improve my use of relative clauses?

Practice with sentences, review these tables, and take quizzes. Over time, you will use them more naturally.