German Relative Clauses: A Clear Guide
A relative clause lets you describe a noun inside the sentence: the man who lives next door, the book that I read, the city where I was born. In German, relative clauses work the same way in meaning but have their own rules for pronouns and word order that differ from English.
Once you know the pattern, relative clauses unlock a much more natural way of speaking and writing.
What a relative clause looks like
Der Mann, der neben mir wohnt, ist Arzt.
The man who lives next to me is a doctor.Das Buch, das ich gelesen habe, war sehr gut.
The book that I read was very good.Die Frau, mit der ich gesprochen habe, heißt Müller.
The woman with whom I spoke is called Müller.
The noun being described (Mann, Buch, Frau) is the antecedent. The relative pronoun (der, das, and der after the preposition mit) introduces the relative clause, which comes after a comma.
The relative pronoun table
The relative pronoun agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to (the antecedent), and takes the case required by its role inside the relative clause.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | denen |
| Genitive | dessen | deren | dessen | deren |
Key observation: most forms are identical to the definite article (der, die, das). The exceptions are dative plural (denen instead of den), genitive masculine/neuter (dessen instead of des) and genitive feminine/plural (deren instead of der).
Step-by-step: how to choose the right pronoun
Step 1: Find the noun the relative clause describes. What is its gender?
Step 2: What is the role of the relative pronoun inside the clause — subject, object, indirect object?
– Subject of the clause → nominative
– Direct object → accusative
– Indirect object or after a dative preposition → dative
– Showing possession → genitive
Step 3: Match gender + case to the table above.
Examples by case
Nominative (the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause)
Ich habe einen Freund. Er spricht fünf Sprachen.
Ich habe einen Freund, der fünf Sprachen spricht.
I have a friend who speaks five languages.
Freund is masculine. The pronoun replaces er (subject) → nominative masculine → der.
Das ist die Wohnung. Sie ist sehr teuer.
Das ist die Wohnung, die sehr teuer ist.
This is the flat that is very expensive.
Wohnung is feminine, subject in the clause → nominative feminine → die.
Accusative (the relative pronoun is the direct object)
Ich suche das Buch. Ich habe es verloren.
Ich suche das Buch, das ich verloren habe.
I’m looking for the book that I lost.
Buch is neuter, direct object in the clause → accusative neuter → das.
Hier ist der Arzt. Ich empfehle ihn dir.
Hier ist der Arzt, den ich dir empfehle.
Here is the doctor I recommend to you.
Arzt is masculine, direct object → accusative masculine → den.
Dative (after dative prepositions or as indirect object)
Das ist die Frau. Ich habe mit ihr gesprochen.
Das ist die Frau, mit der ich gesprochen habe.
That is the woman with whom I spoke.
Frau is feminine, after mit (dative preposition) → dative feminine → der → mit der.
Das ist der Kollege. Ich habe ihm geholfen.
Das ist der Kollege, dem ich geholfen habe.
That is the colleague I helped.
Kollege is masculine, indirect object (helfen takes dative) → dative masculine → dem.
Genitive (showing possession)
Das ist der Mann. Seine Tochter studiert Medizin.
Das ist der Mann, dessen Tochter Medizin studiert.
That is the man whose daughter studies medicine.
Mann is masculine → genitive masculine → dessen.
Ich mag die Lehrerin. Ihr Unterricht macht Spaß.
Ich mag die Lehrerin, deren Unterricht Spaß macht.
I like the teacher whose lessons are fun.
Lehrerin is feminine → genitive feminine → deren.
Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:
Word order inside the relative clause
The verb goes to the end of the relative clause — same rule as all subordinate clauses.
Das ist das Restaurant, das ich dir empfehle. (not …empfehle ich dir)
Ich suche die Frau, die hier gearbeitet hat. (Perfekt: auxiliary hat at the end)
If there is an infinitive or past participle:
Das ist das Buch, das ich lesen wollte.
Das ist das Buch, das ich gestern gekauft habe.
With a modal in the past:
Der Mann, der nicht kommen konnte, hat angerufen.
Commas
German relative clauses always need a comma before them, and after them if the sentence continues, whether they are defining or non-defining. There is no distinction equivalent to English restrictive vs. non-restrictive comma usage — a comma always goes before the relative pronoun.
Der Mann, der dort steht, heißt Klaus.
Die Sprache, die ich lerne, ist Deutsch.
Common mistakes
1. Matching pronoun case to the antecedent, not the role in the clause
– Wrong: Das ist der Mann, der ich empfehle. (wrong case: Mann is the object of empfehle, so the pronoun must be accusative den)
– Right: Das ist der Mann, den ich empfehle.
2. Forgetting that dessen/deren exist
– Wrong: Das ist die Frau, die Sohn Arzt ist. (possessive, should be deren)
– Right: Das ist die Frau, deren Sohn Arzt ist.
3. Verb not going to the end
– Wrong: Das Buch, das ich habe gekauft gestern, ist gut.
– Right: Das Buch, das ich gestern gekauft habe, ist gut.
4. Using welche- forms unnecessarily
There is a less common relative pronoun set starting with welcher, welche, welches — it exists but is formal and slightly old-fashioned. In everyday German and in B1/B2 exams, use der/die/das forms.
5. Plural relative pronoun
– Wrong: Die Kinder, der hier spielen (der is wrong for plural)
– Right: Die Kinder, die hier spielen (plural nominative → die)
– Wrong: Die Leute, mit den ich gesprochen habe
– Right: Die Leute, mit denen ich gesprochen habe (plural dative → denen)
Quick reference
| Situation | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| Masculine noun, subject of clause | der |
| Masculine noun, direct object of clause | den |
| Masculine noun, after dative preposition | dem |
| Masculine noun, showing possession | dessen |
| Feminine noun, subject or direct object | die |
| Feminine noun, after dative preposition | der |
| Feminine noun, showing possession | deren |
| Neuter noun, subject or direct object | das |
| Neuter noun, after dative preposition | dem |
| Neuter noun, showing possession | dessen |
| Plural, subject or direct object | die |
| Plural, after dative preposition | denen |
| Plural, showing possession | deren |
Practise in real sentences
Reading a table does not build relative clause fluency. The only way to get these right automatically is to use them in sentences — describing your friends, the place you live, the things you’re doing.
SipLingo builds relative clauses into conversation practice at B1 level, and corrects you in your own language when the pronoun or word order is wrong. Try it free →
For related grammar, see the 4 German cases explained and German word order rules.
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- IDS Mannheim (grammis): grammis: das or was as relative pronoun – Standard rules for relative pronouns after neuter nouns
Frequently asked questions
What is a relative clause in German?
A clause that describes a noun, introduced by a relative pronoun: der Mann, der hier wohnt (the man who lives here).
How do you choose the relative pronoun in German?
The gender of the pronoun matches the noun it describes. The case is determined by the pronoun’s role inside the relative clause (subject → nominative, direct object → accusative, etc.).
Is the German relative pronoun the same as the article?
Mostly yes — der, die, das are the same as the definite article in nominative and accusative. The differences are: dative plural denen, genitive masculine/neuter dessen, genitive feminine/plural deren.
Where does the verb go in a German relative clause?
To the end, like all subordinate clauses: das Buch, das ich gekauft habe.
Do German relative clauses always need a comma?
Yes — a comma is required before (and after, if the clause is in the middle of the sentence) all relative clauses.
Use relative clauses in real German conversations. SipLingo corrects your German as you speak, in your own language. A1 to B2.
