Relativsätze: How to Build Complex Sentences Smoothly

If you listen to a native German speaker telling a story, you will notice they don't speak in short, disjointed sentences. They don't say: "That is the man. The man stole my car. The car was red."

Instead, they combine these thoughts into one fluid, elegant sentence: "That is the man who stole my red car."

In German, this is achieved using a Relativsatz (Relative Clause). Relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause (Nebensatz) that provide additional information about a noun in the main sentence.

Mastering relative clauses is an absolute requirement for passing a B1 or B2 German exam, and it is the single best way to make your German sound sophisticated. Let's break down how they work.

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What is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause gives us more details about a specific noun (the reference word or Bezugswort) in the main clause.

To connect the relative clause to the main clause, we use a Relative Pronoun (Relativpronomen). In English, these are words like who, which, that, whom, or whose.

In German, the relative pronouns look remarkably similar to the definite articles you already know: der, die, das, die.

Let's look at a basic example:

1. Das ist der Mann. (That is the man.)
2. Der Mann wohnt in Berlin. (The man lives in Berlin.)

Combined with a relative clause:

• Das ist der Mann, der in Berlin wohnt. (That is the man who lives in Berlin.)

The Two Golden Rules of Relative Clauses

To build a perfect German relative clause, you must follow two absolute rules:

1. The Verb Kicker Rule: A relative clause is a Nebensatz. This means the conjugated verb MUST be kicked to the absolute end of the clause before the comma or period.
2. The Pronoun Selection Rule: The relative pronoun takes its Gender and Number (Singular/Plural) from the noun it describes in the main clause. But it takes its Case (Nom/Akk/Dat/Gen) from its grammatical function inside the relative clause itself!

Let's explore that second rule, because it is where 90% of students make mistakes.

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Choosing the Right Relative Pronoun

The table for relative pronouns is almost identical to the definite article table (der, die, das), with only a few minor differences in the Dativ Plural and the Genitiv.

| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Nominativ | der | die | das | die | | Akkusativ | den | die | das | die | | Dativ | dem | der | dem | denen | | Genitiv | dessen | deren | dessen| deren |

Notice the bolded words. Denen, dessen, and deren are the only forms that look different from normal articles.

Step-by-Step Pronoun Selection

Let's look at the sentence: Das ist der Computer, [ ??? ] ich gestern gekauft habe. (That is the computer that I bought yesterday.)

Step 1: Find the Reference Noun (Bezugswort). What are we describing? "Der Computer". What is the gender and number of "Computer"? It is Masculine Singular. This tells us we must look in the "Masculine" column of our table (der, den, dem, dessen).

Step 2: Determine the Case INSIDE the Relative Clause. Look only at the relative clause: [ ??? ] ich gestern gekauft habe. Who is the subject? "ich" (I am the one buying). What is the object being bought? The computer. Because the computer is the direct object of the verb "kaufen", it must be in the Akkusativ case.

Step 3: Combine. Masculine + Akkusativ = den.

Answer: Das ist der Computer, den ich gestern gekauft habe.

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Examples in All Four Cases

Let's take one reference noun—Die Frau (Feminine)—and see how the relative pronoun changes depending on her role inside the relative clause.

1. Nominativ (The woman is doing the action)

• Das ist die Frau, die neben mir wohnt. (That is the woman who lives next to me.) Reasoning: She is the subject of the verb "wohnen". Fem + Nom = die.

2. Akkusativ (The woman is receiving the action directly)

• Das ist die Frau, die ich liebe. (That is the woman who(m) I love.) Reasoning: "Ich" is the subject. The woman is the direct object of "lieben". Fem + Akk = die.

3. Dativ (The woman is receiving the action indirectly, or a Dativ verb is used)

• Das ist die Frau, der ich das Buch gebe. (That is the woman to whom I give the book.) Reasoning: "Ich" is the subject. "Das Buch" is the Akkusativ object. "Geben" takes a Dativ receiver. Fem + Dat = der.

4. Genitiv (Showing possession - "whose")

• Das ist die Frau, deren Auto kaputt ist. (That is the woman whose car is broken.) Reasoning: The car belongs to the woman. Fem + Gen = deren.

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Relative Clauses with Prepositions

What happens if the verb inside the relative clause requires a preposition? For example, warten auf (to wait for) or sprechen mit (to speak with).

In English, we often leave the preposition dangling at the end of the sentence: "That is the man that I am waiting for." In German, you cannot dangle prepositions! The preposition MUST jump to the front of the relative clause, right before the relative pronoun.

Formula: Comma + Preposition + Relative Pronoun + ... + Verb.

And remember: The preposition dictates the case of the relative pronoun!

• auf + Akkusativ
• mit + Dativ

Example 1: Warten auf (Akkusativ)

• Der Bus kommt nicht. (The bus is not coming.)
• Ich warte auf den Bus. (I am waiting for the bus.)
• -> Der Bus, auf den ich warte, kommt nicht. (The bus for which I am waiting is not coming.)

Example 2: Sprechen mit (Dativ)

• Die Kollegin ist sehr nett. (The female colleague is very nice.)
• Ich spreche mit der Kollegin. (I am speaking with the female colleague.)
• -> Die Kollegin, mit der ich spreche, ist sehr nett. (The colleague with whom I am speaking is very nice.)

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Placement of the Relative Clause

Where does the relative clause actually go in the sentence?

The golden rule of placement is: The relative clause should be placed as close to its reference noun as possible.

If the reference noun is at the end of the main clause, the relative clause follows at the end:

• Ich sehe den Hund, der im Park spielt.

If the reference noun is the subject at the beginning of the main clause, the relative clause must interrupt the main sentence! You must use commas to box it in.

• Der Hund, der im Park spielt, gehört meinem Nachbarn.

Let's break down that last sentence:

1. Main sentence starts: Der Hund...
2. Comma.
3. Relative clause begins and sends its verb to its own end: ..., der im Park spielt,...
4. Comma.
5. Main sentence resumes EXACTLY where it left off. Since "Der Hund" was Position 1, the very next word must be the verb! ..., gehört meinem Nachbarn.

This "boxing in" technique with commas is very common in written German.

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Summary Checklist and Practice

Building a relative clause requires mental gymnastics at first, but it quickly becomes intuitive. When constructing a relative clause, follow this checklist:

1. Find the Noun: What word am I describing? (Determines Gender & Number)
2. Determine the Role: What is the noun doing inside the extra information? Subject? Direct Object? Receiver? (Determines Case)
3. Check for Prepositions: Does the verb in the extra info require a preposition? If so, put it before the pronoun and let the preposition dictate the case!
4. Kick the Verb: Move the conjugated verb to the very end of the relative clause, just before the comma or period.

Mini-Quiz

Try to fill in the missing relative pronoun (and preposition if needed):

1. Das ist der Film, [ ??? ] ich gestern gesehen habe.
2. Der Mann, [ ??? ] ich geholfen habe, ist mein Onkel. (Hint: helfen takes Dativ!)
3. Das ist das Haus, in [ ??? ] ich wohne.
4. Die Kinder, [ ??? ] Eltern arbeiten, sind in der Schule. (Hint: whose)

Answers:

1. den (Masc + Akkusativ object of sehen)
2. dem (Masc + Dativ object of helfen)
3. dem (Neut + Dativ caused by the preposition 'in' indicating location)
4. deren (Plural + Genitiv showing possession)

Keep practicing, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Using relative clauses, even imperfectly, will make your German sound incredibly fluent and expressive!