Relative Clauses: Dative and with Prepositions
Extend the relative clauses you built at A2 into the dative — dem, der, denen — and learn to start a relative clause with a preposition, as in der Nachbar, mit dem ich spreche.
From nominative and accusative to dative
At A2 you learned to describe people and things with relative clauses in the nominative and accusative: der Mann, der dort wohnt; das Buch, das ich lese. The pronoun looked like the definite article, the verb went to the end, and a comma opened the clause. All of that stays true — B1 simply completes the case system.
The missing row is the dative. Whenever the relative pronoun is an indirect object or follows a dative verb, it takes the dative forms: dem for masculine and neuter, der for feminine, denen for the plural. Compare: Der Kollege, der mir hilft (nominative subject) and Der Kollege, dem ich helfe (dative object of helfen).
The method is the same one you used at A2. First find the noun the clause describes — that fixes gender and number. Then look at the job the pronoun does inside its own clause — that fixes the case. Gender from outside, case from inside: this rule carries you through every relative clause in German.
Das ist der Nachbar, dem die Wohnung im dritten Stock gehört.
That is the neighbour to whom the flat on the third floor belongs.
gehören takes the dative, so the masculine pronoun is dem.
Die Ärztin, der ich seit Jahren vertraue, hat ihre Praxis verlegt.
The doctor whom I have trusted for years has moved her practice.
vertrauen takes the dative; feminine dative is der.
Das Kind, dem der Lehrer das Wort erklärte, verstand es sofort.
The child to whom the teacher explained the word understood it immediately.
Neuter dative is also dem — identical to the masculine form.
Der Kollege, dem ich gestern geholfen habe, hat sich heute bedankt.
The colleague whom I helped yesterday said thank you today.
The plural pronoun denen
In the nominative and accusative, the plural relative pronoun is die — the same as the article. In the dative it is not den, as the article table would suggest, but denen. This extra syllable is the one genuinely new form of the whole system, so it deserves special attention: die Nachbarn, denen wir geholfen haben — the neighbours whom we helped.
denen appears after dative verbs you already know — helfen, danken, gehören, gefallen, gratulieren — and after dative prepositions, which the next section covers. If you hear yourself say die Leute, den ich..., stop and stretch it: denen.
A quick overview of the full pronoun table as it now stands. Nominative: der, die, das, die. Accusative: den, die, das, die. Dative: dem, der, dem, denen. Only two forms differ from the definite article across the whole table so far — denen is one of them, and you will meet the other, dessen and deren in the genitive, at B2.
Die Nachbarn, denen wir beim Umzug geholfen haben, haben uns zum Essen eingeladen.
The neighbours whom we helped with the move have invited us to dinner.
Die Kunden, denen das Angebot gefallen hat, haben sofort unterschrieben.
The customers who liked the offer signed immediately.
gefallen takes the dative: das Angebot gefällt den Kunden, so the pronoun is denen.
Das sind die Kollegen, denen ich zum Jubiläum gratuliert habe.
Those are the colleagues whom I congratulated on their anniversary.
A preposition pulls the pronoun forward
Very often the relative pronoun belongs to a preposition: I am talking with the neighbour, thinking about the offer, waiting for the letter. In German the preposition cannot be left at the end of the clause as in English. It moves to the front, directly before the pronoun, and the two open the relative clause together: der Nachbar, mit dem ich spreche — the neighbour I am talking with.
The case is now decided by the preposition, exactly as everywhere else in German. mit, bei, von, zu take the dative: die Firma, bei der ich arbeite. für, gegen, ohne take the accusative: der Vertrag, für den ich mich interessiere. Two-way prepositions follow their usual logic — in der Stadt, in der ich wohne is dative because it is a location.
Verbs with fixed prepositions, which you learned at A2, slot straight into this pattern. warten auf, sich bewerben um, sich freuen über keep their preposition and its case: die Stelle, auf die ich seit Wochen warte. When you learn a verb together with its preposition, the relative clause builds itself.
Die Wohnung, in der wir seit zwei Jahren wohnen, wird nächstes Jahr renoviert.
The flat in which we have been living for two years will be renovated next year.
Location with a two-way preposition, therefore dative: in der.
Der Makler, mit dem ich gestern telefoniert habe, hat mir drei Angebote geschickt.
The estate agent with whom I spoke on the phone yesterday has sent me three offers.
Die Stelle, auf die ich mich beworben habe, wurde leider schon vergeben.
The position that I applied for has unfortunately already been given to someone else.
sich bewerben auf takes the accusative, so the pronoun is die; the main clause uses the passive from lesson 6.
Die Freunde, von denen ich dir erzählt habe, kommen am Wochenende zu Besuch.
The friends I told you about are coming to visit at the weekend.
von takes the dative; plural dative is denen.
Relative clauses in letters and daily life
Full relative clauses are the backbone of B1 writing. A flat-hunting email almost writes itself with them: Ich suche eine Wohnung, in der zwei Personen Platz haben. Die Anzeige, auf die ich mich beziehe, habe ich online gefunden. Official letters do the same in the other direction: der Betrag, mit dem Sie im Rückstand sind — the amount with which you are in arrears.
For places, spoken German often replaces preposition plus pronoun with a simple wo: die Stadt, wo ich arbeite instead of die Stadt, in der ich arbeite. Both are correct; the version with in der sounds more careful and is the better choice in writing. After names of cities and countries, wo is the only option: in Berlin, wo meine Schwester wohnt.
When you check your own sentences, ask three questions. Does the pronoun match the noun in gender and number? Does its case come from its job inside the clause — or from a preposition standing in front of it? And is the conjugated verb at the end? Three yes answers, and the clause is correct.
Ich suche eine Wohnung, in der meine Familie genug Platz hat.
I am looking for a flat in which my family has enough space.
Der Kurs, für den ich mich angemeldet habe, beginnt erst im Oktober.
The course that I registered for does not begin until October.
Wir wohnen jetzt in einem Viertel, in dem es viele Geschäfte und Cafés gibt.
We now live in a district in which there are many shops and cafés.
In spoken German you could also say: in einem Viertel, wo es viele Geschäfte gibt.
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
Das ist der Kollege, ___ ich oft helfe. Which pronoun fits the gap?
Practise what you learned