• German relative pronouns: der, die, das, die (pl.)
• Gender/number agreement: matches the antecedent (the word being referred to)
• Case: depends on the relative pronoun’s role in the relative clause (subject, direct object, indirect object, etc.)
• Relative pronouns always introduce a relative clause and take the verb at the end of that clause.

German Relative Pronouns Table

Usage Rules and Examples

Rule 1: The relative pronoun agrees with the antecedent in gender and number.

• The pronoun refers back to a noun, called the antecedent.
• Example: Ich kenne eine Frau, die in Berlin lebt. (Frau is feminine singular, so we use die.)
• Example: Hier sind die Kinder, die spielen. (Kinder is plural, so we use die plural.)

Rule 2: The relative pronoun’s case depends on its role in the relative clause.

• If the pronoun is the subject in the relative clause, use nominative.
• If it is a direct object, use accusative.
• If it is an indirect object, use dative.
• If it shows possession, use genitive.
• Examples:
• Das ist der Mann, der den Hund hat. (subject → nominative)
• Das ist der Mann, den ich kenne. (direct object → accusative)
• Das ist die Frau, der ich schreibe. (indirect object → dative)
• Das ist der Schüler, dessen Buch fehlt. (possession → genitive)

Rule 3: The verb in the relative clause goes to the end.

• The relative clause follows standard German word order rules.
• Example: Die Frau, die im Laden arbeitet, ist nett.

Common Pitfalls

• Don’t confuse the antecedent’s gender/number with the needed case in the relative clause.
• Don’t use wo, was, wer as relative pronouns except in special cases.
• Remember to put the verb at the end of the relative clause.

Special Cases

Relative Pronoun “was”

• Used when referring to something indefinite: alles, nichts, etwas, das… oder when nothing specific is named.
• Example: Alles, was du brauchst, ist hier. (Everything that you need is here.)

Relative Pronoun “wo”

• Used in informal speech to refer to places or things.
• Example: Das ist das Haus, wo ich wohne. (That is the house where I live.)
• More formal: Das ist das Haus, in dem ich wohne.

Prepositions with Relative Pronouns

• If the verb or expression requires a preposition, it appears before the relative pronoun in the relative clause.
• Example: Der Mann, mit dem ich spreche, ist Lehrer. (The man with whom I speak is a teacher.)

Summary

• Relative pronouns connect extra info to a noun.
• Match gender/number to antecedent, but case follows role in relative clause.
• Verb always goes at the end of the relative clause.