Relative Clauses: The Basics
Describe people and things inside one sentence: der Mann, der nebenan wohnt; der Film, den ich gesehen habe. Nominative and accusative relative pronouns, verb at the end, commas everywhere.
One sentence instead of two
Compare these two versions: Das ist mein Nachbar. Er wohnt seit zehn Jahren hier. — Das ist mein Nachbar, der seit zehn Jahren hier wohnt. The second version folds the description into the first sentence with a relative clause. The little word der points back to mein Nachbar and replaces er.
The relative pronouns look exactly like the definite articles: der for masculine, die for feminine, das for neuter, die for plural. Which one you pick depends on the noun you are describing — its gender and number carry over. Die Frau, die...; das Kind, das...; die Nachbarn, die...
Two formal rules never bend. First, a comma always stands before the relative pronoun (and after the clause, if the sentence continues). Second, the conjugated verb goes to the end of the relative clause, exactly as in weil and dass clauses: der seit zehn Jahren hier wohnt.
Das ist mein Nachbar, der seit zehn Jahren hier wohnt.
That is my neighbour, who has lived here for ten years.
der points back to the masculine noun; the verb goes to the end.
Die Frau, die im dritten Stock wohnt, ist sehr nett.
The woman who lives on the third floor is very nice.
The clause sits in the middle — commas on both sides.
Das Auto, das vor dem Haus steht, gehört meiner Vermieterin.
The car that is parked in front of the house belongs to my landlady.
gehört + dative from the dative verbs lesson.
Nominative: the pronoun is the subject
In the examples so far, the relative pronoun was the subject of its clause — the one doing the living, standing or being nice. That is the nominative, and it is the easiest case: simply reuse the definite article of the noun you are describing. Der Mann, der...; die Lampe, die...; das Café, das...; die Kollegen, die...
A quick way to check: unfold the relative clause back into its own sentence. Die Frau, die im dritten Stock wohnt → Sie wohnt im dritten Stock. If the pronoun unfolds to er, sie, es or plural sie as the subject, you are in the nominative and the article-lookalike is all you need.
Note that the verb in the relative clause agrees with the noun being described: die Nachbarn, die so laut sind — plural noun, plural verb sind. Singular noun, singular verb: der Nachbar, der so laut ist.
Ich habe einen Kollegen, der perfekt Englisch spricht.
I have a colleague who speaks perfect English.
Wie heißt das Café, das direkt am Markt liegt?
What is the name of the café that is right on the market square?
Die Nachbarn, die über uns wohnen, sind sehr freundlich.
The neighbours who live above us are very friendly.
Plural noun → plural pronoun die and plural verbs.
Accusative: only der changes
Now the pronoun as direct object: the film that I saw, the man whom I asked. Unfold the clause and the pronoun becomes ihn, sie or es in the accusative. And here German is kind to you — the relative pronoun changes in exactly one place, the same place the article changes: masculine der becomes den. Feminine die, neuter das and plural die stay as they are.
Der Film, den ich gestern gesehen habe, war super. Unfolded: Ich habe ihn gestern gesehen — ihn, accusative, masculine → den. But: die Pizza, die ich bestellt habe; das Buch, das ich lese; die Schuhe, die ich gekauft habe — no visible change.
Inside the clause, the pronoun comes first, then the subject, and the verb still goes to the end. With the Perfekt that means the participle and the helper stack up at the close: den ich gestern gesehen habe. Read that rhythm out loud a few times — pronoun, subject, everything else, verb block.
Der Film, den ich gestern gesehen habe, war wirklich gut.
The film that I saw yesterday was really good.
Masculine object: der → den. The Perfekt block closes the clause.
Die Pizza, die du bestellt hast, ist fertig.
The pizza that you ordered is ready.
Feminine die stays die in the accusative.
Das ist der Kollege, den ich dir vorstellen möchte.
This is the colleague whom I would like to introduce to you.
Die Schuhe, die ich letzte Woche gekauft habe, sind schon kaputt.
The shoes that I bought last week are already broken.
Describing your world — and knowing where to stop
Relative clauses turn flat statements into vivid descriptions, and A2 life gives you endless material. Your flat: Wir haben eine Wohnung, die einen kleinen Balkon hat. Your town: Es gibt einen Park, der im Sommer sehr voll ist. A lost bag: Ich suche einen Rucksack, den ich im Zug vergessen habe. Notice how each relative clause answers the silent question "which one?" — that is the job of the whole structure.
English often drops the pronoun: the film I saw. German never does — den must be there, and so must the comma. If you remember only two things from this lesson, make it those: the pronoun is obligatory, the comma is obligatory.
One honest boundary: German relative pronouns also have dative forms (dem Mann, dem ich geholfen habe) and combine with prepositions (die Firma, bei der ich arbeite). Those belong to B1. If you catch yourself needing one, simply split the idea into two sentences for now — Das ist die Firma. Ich arbeite dort. — and enjoy how far nominative and accusative alone already carry you.
Wir haben eine Wohnung, die einen kleinen Balkon hat.
We have a flat that has a small balcony.
Adjective ending from the ein-words lesson: einen kleinen Balkon.
Ich suche einen Rucksack, den ich im Zug vergessen habe.
I am looking for a rucksack that I left on the train.
Mein Lieblingsort ist ein Park, der direkt am Fluss liegt.
My favourite place is a park that lies right by the river.
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
Fill in the gap
Das ist der Kollege, mir immer hilft.
Hint: The pronoun is the subject of the clause — unfold it: Er hilft mir immer. Nominative masculine.
Practise what you learned