An Introduction to German Relative Pronouns: der, die, das

A relative pronoun (Relativpronomen) is a word that connects a subordinate clause to the main clause and refers back to a noun mentioned earlier.

In English, relative clauses often use words such as “who” and “which”. In German, the basic nominative forms are der, die, das and die.

German relative pronouns in the nominative

In the nominative, the German relative pronoun has the same form as the definite article. The form depends on the gender and number of the noun to which it refers.

• der – masculine singular
• die – feminine singular and plural
• das – neuter singular

Simple example sentences

Masculine: der

• Das ist der Mann, der neben mir wohnt.
  This is the man who lives next to me.

Feminine: die

• Das ist die Frau, die Ärztin ist.
  This is the woman who is a doctor.

Neuter: das

• Das ist das Kind, das im Garten spielt.
  This is the child who is playing in the garden.

Plural: die

• Das sind die Leute, die im Kino arbeiten.
  These are the people who work at the cinema.

Important sentence rules

1. The relative clause comes directly after the noun to which it refers.
   • Der Mann, der neben mir wohnt, ist mein Nachbar.
     The man who lives next to me is my neighbour.
     The relative clause follows “der Mann” directly.
2. Within the relative clause, the relative pronoun is the first word, and the verb goes to the end.
   • Das ist das Kind, das im Garten spielt.
     This is the child who is playing in the garden.
     The clause begins immediately after “das Kind”. The relative pronoun “das” comes first, and the verb “spielt” is at the end.

More examples

• Ich kenne den Jungen, der Fußball spielt.
  I know the boy who plays football.
• Sie besucht die Lehrerin, die sehr nett ist.
  She visits the teacher who is very nice.
• Er liest das Buch, das interessant ist.
  He is reading the book that is interesting.
• Wir treffen die Freunde, die gestern angekommen sind.
  We are meeting the friends who arrived yesterday.

Further comparisons

• Der Mann, der dort steht, ist Lehrer.
  The man who is standing there is a teacher.
• Das Buch, das auf dem Tisch liegt, ist neu.
  The book that is on the table is new.
• Die Frauen, die singen, sind schön.
  The women who are singing are beautiful.

What to remember

• Relative pronouns such as der, die and das connect a main clause and a relative clause.
• In the nominative, the relative pronoun agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it refers.
• The most common nominative forms are der, die, das, die.
• The verb goes to the end of the relative clause.

Practical steps for practising

1. Find the noun that the relative clause refers to.
2. Identify its gender and number: masculine, feminine, neuter or plural.
3. Choose der, die, das or die.
4. Place the relative clause directly after the noun.
5. Put the verb at the end of the relative clause.
6. Practise by creating sentences such as: “Das ist der Mann, der …”, “Das ist die Frau, die …” and “Das ist das Kind, das …”.