Relative clauses in German
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HideWhat is a relative clause?
A relative clause is a dependent clause. The finite verb has to be placed in the last position. You will always find a comma in order to separate the relative clause from the main clause. With a relative clause you can give additional information about the main clause.
For example:
- Das ist mein Cousin, den ich am Meisten mag. (That is my cousin, that I like the most)
- Lisa, die groß ist, stellt sich in die letzte Reihe. (Lisa, who is tall, is standing in the last row)
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Construction and Usage of relative clauses
In order to form a relative clause we need a relative pronoun or a relative adverb. In German, the relative pronoun always has to be in the dependent sentence. Comparing to English to German, the relative pronouns can sometime be left out. Relative pronouns have to be declined according to the case. Relative adverbs don't change their form.
Recap of the declension of relative pronouns
We already discussed the declension of relative pronouns, but here is the most important table.
For example:
- Die Spülmaschine, die schon ewig läuft, funktioniert nicht mehr. (The dishwasher, that is running since forever, doesn't work anymore)
- Das Buch, das viele Seiten hat, ist sehr schwer. (The book, that has many pages, is very heavy)
| masculine | feminine | neuter | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | der/ welcher | die/ welche | das/ welches | die/ welche |
| accusative | den/ welchen | die/ welche | das/ welches | die/welche |
| dative | dem/ welchem | der/ welcher | dem/ welchem | denen/ welchen |
| genitive | dessen | deren | dessen | deren |
Sometimes there is a "problem" occurring, if you are using der/die/das as a relative pronoun. The better version is to use welcher.
- Das ist die Flasche, die die richtige Größe hat. (That is the bottle, that has the right size)
- Das ist die Flasche, welche die richtige Größe hat. (That is the bottle, which has the right size)
Relative Adverbs in relative clauses
The relative adverbs often are connected to a entire clause. Therefore, they don't change their form.
- Wir treffen uns an dem Ort, wo wir uns das letzte mal trafen. (We meet at the place, where we met the last time)
- Meine Eltern haben mir immer geholfen, wofür ich sehr dankbar bin. (My parents always helped my, for which I am very grateful)
Different constructions with relative clauses
Relative clauses refer usually to a subject or an object of the previous main clause. Therefore, they are placed right after the subject or object they do describe. The position of the relative clause can be at the end, or in the middle of a sentence.
- Sophia, die in Brasilien war, liebt Portugiesisch. (nominative case, end of the sentence) - (Sophia, who is Brazilian, loves Portuguese)
- Sophia, deren Portugiesisch sehr gut ist, redet gerne. (genitive case, middle of the sentence) - (Sophia, whose Portuguese is very good, likes to talk)
- Das sind die Bücher, mit denen ich gelernt habe. (dative case, end of the sentence) - (Those are the books, with which I learned)
- Die Bücher, die ich schon ewig habe, sind eingestaubt. (accusative case, middle of the sentence) - (The books, that I have since forever, are dusty)
Test your skills by doing the exercises!
Exercises
Exercise of relative clauses
Fill in the missing relative pronouns of the combined sentence.
For example:
- Du kennst die Menschen. Du hast ihnen deine Kunst gezeigt. (You know the people. You showed them your art)
- Du kennst die Menschen, denen du deine Kunst gezeigt hast. (You know the people, who you showed your art to)
1. Wo ist die Jacke? Ich habe sie gekauft. - Wo ist die Jacke, ich gekauft habe?
(Where is the jacket? I bought it. - Where is the jacket, that I bought?)
2. Die Kinder spielen mit der Puppe. Sie hat sie mitgebracht. - Die Kinder spielen mit der Puppe, sie mitgebracht hat.
(The kids play with the puppet. She brought it. - The kids play with the puppet, that she brought)
3. Dort steht die Flasche. Die trinke ich gleich leer. - Dort steht die Flasche, ich gleich leertrinken werde.
(Over there is the bottle. I will drink it soon. - Over there is the bottle, that I will drink soon)
4. Hilfst du den Kindern? Die Mutter ist krank. - Hilfst du den Kinder, Mutter krank ist?
(Are you helping the children? Their mother is sick. - Are you helping the children, whose mother is sick?)
5. Wo sind die Karten? Sie hat sie vorbeigebracht. - Wo sind die Karten, sie vorbeigebracht hat?
(Where are the cards? She brought them. - Where are the cards, that she brought?)
6. Dort steht meine Freundin. Ich habe sie in Frankreich kennen gelernt. - Dort steht meine Freundin, ich in Frankreich kennen gelernt habe.
(Over there is my friend. I met her in France. - Over there is my friend, who I met in France)
7. Das Buch ist schwer. Das Buch hat viele Seite. Das Buch, viele Seiten hat, ist schwer.
(The book is heavy. It has many pages. The book, that has many pages, is heavy)
8. Das ist mein Cousin. Den Cousin mag ist am meisten. - Das ist mein Cousin, ich am meisten mag.
(That is my cousin. I like him the most. - That is my cousin, who I like the most)
9. Lisa stellt sich in die letzte Reihe. Lisa ist groß. Lisa, groß ist, stellt sich in die letzte Reihe.
(Lisa is standing in the last row. Lisa is tall. - Lisa, who is tall, is standing in the last row.)
10. Das ist die Flasche. Die Flasche hat die richtige Größe. - Das ist die Flasche, richtige Größe hat.
(That is the bottle. The bottle has the right size. That is the bottle, that has the right size)
Exercises
Exercise of relative clauses
Fill in the missing relative pronouns of the combined sentence.
For example:
- Du kennst die Menschen. Du hast ihnen deine Kunst gezeigt. (You know the people. You showed them your art)
- Du kennst die Menschen, denen du deine Kunst gezeigt hast. (You know the people, who you showed your art to)
1. Wo ist die Jacke? Ich habe sie gekauft. - Wo ist die Jacke, ich gekauft habe?
(Where is the jacket? I bought it. - Where is the jacket, that I bought?)
2. Die Kinder spielen mit der Puppe. Sie hat sie mitgebracht. - Die Kinder spielen mit der Puppe, sie mitgebracht hat.
(The kids play with the puppet. She brought it. - The kids play with the puppet, that she brought)
3. Dort steht die Flasche. Die trinke ich gleich leer. - Dort steht die Flasche, ich gleich leertrinken werde.
(Over there is the bottle. I will drink it soon. - Over there is the bottle, that I will drink soon)
4. Hilfst du den Kindern? Die Mutter ist krank. - Hilfst du den Kinder, Mutter krank ist?
(Are you helping the children? Their mother is sick. - Are you helping the children, whose mother is sick?)
5. Wo sind die Karten? Sie hat sie vorbeigebracht. - Wo sind die Karten, sie vorbeigebracht hat?
(Where are the cards? She brought them. - Where are the cards, that she brought?)
6. Dort steht meine Freundin. Ich habe sie in Frankreich kennen gelernt. - Dort steht meine Freundin, ich in Frankreich kennen gelernt habe.
(Over there is my friend. I met her in France. - Over there is my friend, who I met in France)
7. Das Buch ist schwer. Das Buch hat viele Seite. Das Buch, viele Seiten hat, ist schwer.
(The book is heavy. It has many pages. The book, that has many pages, is heavy)
8. Das ist mein Cousin. Den Cousin mag ist am meisten. - Das ist mein Cousin, ich am meisten mag.
(That is my cousin. I like him the most. - That is my cousin, who I like the most)
9. Lisa stellt sich in die letzte Reihe. Lisa ist groß. Lisa, groß ist, stellt sich in die letzte Reihe.
(Lisa is standing in the last row. Lisa is tall. - Lisa, who is tall, is standing in the last row.)
10. Das ist die Flasche. Die Flasche hat die richtige Größe. - Das ist die Flasche, richtige Größe hat.
(That is the bottle. The bottle has the right size. That is the bottle, that has the right size)
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Hallo :) My name is Mihaela and I was born in Switzerland. I have a Bachleor and Master degree as German teacher and more then 5 years experience.
I love languages, because of that I speak also Croatian and English. :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, writing, pronunciation and vocabulary.
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar. Or we can learn whatever you need, because I will always adapt to your needs. :)
I will support you during your learning experience and adapt to your learning tempo.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books (Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen,...).
As always, her lessons are great! She takes time to prepare in advance the lesson and pesonalised material for your needs.
Mihaela S.
I am an enthusiastic and devoted Native English speaker with excellent communication skills and I would love to help you improve your conversational English
I have a Bachelors degree in Information Design and Marketing. I am also a certified TEFL teacher. I have 15 years experience teaching students at University level and more recently I started teaching English on-line to all age groups. As part of my community service, I do volunteer English teaching to underprivileged students in Myanmar which I find hugely rewarding.
My classes focus on conversational English, in other words - we talk and read a lot, we make mistakes and correct them, we focus on pronunciation and correct sentence construction and have fun while learning and practising your English. My number one priority is always to focus on addressing your specific needs and problem areas.
Learning to speak a new language is more than just acquiring new words and the sentences, it is also about getting the confidence to use it. This confidence will come from using the language in a friendly, safe and non-judgemental environment - and that is what I offer you.
I believe I am very friendly, easy to get along with, and extremely patient.
Teaching English to me is a passion and not a job. I am super excited to share this learning journey with you.
A. S.
Pieter is a South African English teacher with loads of experience. He has taught different age groups and even teaches English to people who cannot afford it on his free time. He counts with different learning materials for different ages and purposes and seems eager to accommodate courses according to the student's needs.
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Pieter V.
I am a native German speaker and am teaching English and German as foreign languages. I have got a teaching degree and have been teaching English and German for more than two years to all levels and age groups.
I personally prefer to speak in the learning language as much as possible and to focus on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Moreover, I like to cover practical topics that can be used in your everyday life and make classes as diverse and dynamic as possible. Nevertheless, I am always open-minded to suggestions coming from students.
Concerning materials I like to use a course book and in addition worksheets, audios, videos, etc.
In case you have got any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me :)
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Anna is a very well prepared and good teacher. She is a good teacher, dedicated to teach you. Would recommend her for everyone who would like to learn German.
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I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
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My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
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Hallo :) My name is Mihaela and I was born in Switzerland. I have a Bachleor and Master degree as German teacher and more then 5 years experience.
I love languages, because of that I speak also Croatian and English. :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, writing, pronunciation and vocabulary.
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar. Or we can learn whatever you need, because I will always adapt to your needs. :)
I will support you during your learning experience and adapt to your learning tempo.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books (Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen,...).
As always, her lessons are great! She takes time to prepare in advance the lesson and pesonalised material for your needs.
Mihaela S.
I am an enthusiastic and devoted Native English speaker with excellent communication skills and I would love to help you improve your conversational English
I have a Bachelors degree in Information Design and Marketing. I am also a certified TEFL teacher. I have 15 years experience teaching students at University level and more recently I started teaching English on-line to all age groups. As part of my community service, I do volunteer English teaching to underprivileged students in Myanmar which I find hugely rewarding.
My classes focus on conversational English, in other words - we talk and read a lot, we make mistakes and correct them, we focus on pronunciation and correct sentence construction and have fun while learning and practising your English. My number one priority is always to focus on addressing your specific needs and problem areas.
Learning to speak a new language is more than just acquiring new words and the sentences, it is also about getting the confidence to use it. This confidence will come from using the language in a friendly, safe and non-judgemental environment - and that is what I offer you.
I believe I am very friendly, easy to get along with, and extremely patient.
Teaching English to me is a passion and not a job. I am super excited to share this learning journey with you.
A. S.
Pieter is a South African English teacher with loads of experience. He has taught different age groups and even teaches English to people who cannot afford it on his free time. He counts with different learning materials for different ages and purposes and seems eager to accommodate courses according to the student's needs.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Pieter V.
I am a native German speaker and am teaching English and German as foreign languages. I have got a teaching degree and have been teaching English and German for more than two years to all levels and age groups.
I personally prefer to speak in the learning language as much as possible and to focus on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Moreover, I like to cover practical topics that can be used in your everyday life and make classes as diverse and dynamic as possible. Nevertheless, I am always open-minded to suggestions coming from students.
Concerning materials I like to use a course book and in addition worksheets, audios, videos, etc.
In case you have got any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me :)
O. I.
Anna is a very well prepared and good teacher. She is a good teacher, dedicated to teach you. Would recommend her for everyone who would like to learn German.
Anna A.
My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
B. S.
My daughter is really happy with Christina and I can already see she is improving her German after 6 lessons! Many thanks Christina!
Thank you very much !