Relativsätze (Relative Clauses) (A3/A4)

- Relative clauses explain certain parts of the main clause further.

- Relative clauses cannot stand on its own logically, because their very definition is to
refer to a part of the main clause. In this way they depend on the main clause.
- The main clause (Hauptsatz) is complete in itself and can stand on its own.
- The verb of the relative clause comes at the end of that relative clause (like with
subordinating conjunctions)
- Relative clauses are marked by one comma or two enclosing commas in a main clause.
- Relative clauses are introduced with one of the relative pronouns of the relevant case
(Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, Genitiv).
- The relative pronouns refer to the relevant grammatical subject or object in the main
clause.

1. Relative clauses in the Nominativ

The relative pronouns of the relative clauses in Nominativ are:
- der (M)
- die (F)
- das (N)
- die (Pl.)

Examples:

1. Der Mann, der in den Buchladen geht, ist groß.

2. Die Frau, die dort steht, kauft eine Blume.
3. Das Buch, das auf dem Tisch liegt, hat tausend Seiten.
4. Die Bäume, die in dem Park sind, sind grün.

As you know, the Nominativ marks the subject of the sentence. In the case of relative
clauses in the Nominativ that means: The subject of the main clause is the one doing the
action (Verb) of the relative clause. In the first example this means that the man is going

1
 (geht). The relative pronoun ͚der͛ is in the Nominativ and is denoting exactly that: The man
is the subject of the main clause and the relative pronoun ͚der͛ is referring to him in the
Nominativ case and at the same time making clear that the man is doing the activity
mentioned in the relative clause, which is going (geht).

2. Relative clauses in the Akkusativ

The relative pronouns of the relative clauses in Akkusativ are:

- den (M)
- die (F)
- das (N)
- die (Pl.)

Examples:

1. Der Computer, den ich gekauft habe, ist teuer.

2. Die Blume, die ich gesehen habe, war schön.
3. Das Auto, das der Mann fährt, ist schnell.
4. Die Juwelen, die die Frau in ihren Schrank gelegt hat, sind wertvoll.

The relative pronouns in Akkusativ refer (by definition) to the Akkusativobjekt in the main
clause. In the first example, the computer is the Akkusativobjekt. But an Akkusativobjekt
needs someone (or something) that is performing an activity upon it for it to be an
Akkusativobjekt. As you may have noticed, the relative sentences contain subjects, to be
precise, Nominativ subjects. These subjects are the ones performing the action mentioned
in the relative clause. The I (ich) was performing the action of buying (gekauft habe) the
computer. This ensures that the computer is considered to be the Akkusativobjekt of the
action of buying performed by the I.
If you consider the main clause only, without the relative clause, then the computer is
simply the Nominativsubjekt. Only from the perspective of the relative clause and its
action-performing subject the computer is an Akkusativobjekt.

2
3. Relative clauses in the Dativ

The relative pronouns of the relative clauses in Dativ are:

- dem (M)
- der (F)
- dem (N)
- denen (Pl.)

Examples:

1. Der Mann, dem ich das Buch gekauft habe, ist nett.
2. Meine Schwester, der ihr Vater ein Geschenk gegeben hat, ist lieb.
3. Das Auto, dem der Dieb eine Scheibe eingeschlagen hat, ist jetzt kaputt. (einschlagen =
bash)
4. Die Frauen, denen der Mann den roten Teppich ausgerollt hat, sind schön. (ausrollen =
roll out)

As you notice, the relative clauses this time contain both a subject performing the action
and an Akkusativobjekt. The relative pronouns are in Dativ and refer to the Dativobjekt in
the main clause. In the first example the Dativobjekt is the man. Keep in mind that the man
is considered to be a Dativobjekt only from the perspective of the relative clause. In the
main clause the man is simply the Nominativsubjekt.

4. Relative clauses in the Genitiv

The relative pronouns of the relative clauses in Genitiv are:

- dessen (M)
- deren (F)
- dessen (N)
- deren (Pl.)

Example:

1. Der Mann, dessen Auto vor dem Haus steht, geht zum Kiosk.

3
2. Die Frau, deren Kleid rot ist, trägt auch eine Handtasche.
3. Das Auto, dessen Tür blau ist, kostet viel Geld.
4. Die Bücher, deren Einbände braun sind, handeln von Philosophie. (Einband = book
cover)

As you remember, the Genitiv expresses possession in the German language. The relative
clause contains nouns that represent that what the grammatical subject of the main clause
possesses. In the first example, the man possesses the car.