Relative Pronouns (Nominative)

Overview

Relative clauses provide extra information about a noun in the main clause. In German, the relative pronoun must agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to (the antecedent). The case of the relative pronoun depends on its role within the relative clause.

A key difference from English: in German relative clauses, the conjugated verb moves to the END of the clause.

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer. — The man who is standing there is my teacher.

Nominative Forms

When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, it takes the nominative case:

These forms are identical to the definite articles — but in a relative clause, they function as pronouns introducing a subordinate clause.

Using Nominative Relative Pronouns

The relative pronoun replaces "who," "which," or "that" in English. In nominative, it is the subject of the relative clause — the person or thing performing the action within that clause.

Masculine

Der Lehrer, der Deutsch unterrichtet, ist sehr nett. — The teacher who teaches German is very nice.

Ich kenne einen Mann, der drei Sprachen spricht. — I know a man who speaks three languages.

Feminine

Die Frau, die neben mir sitzt, kommt aus Berlin. — The woman who sits next to me comes from Berlin.

Hast du die Katze gesehen, die im Garten war? — Did you see the cat that was in the garden?

Neuter

Das Buch, das auf dem Tisch liegt, gehört mir. — The book that lies on the table belongs to me.

Das Restaurant, das gestern geöffnet hat, ist sehr gut. — The restaurant that opened yesterday is very good.

Plural

Die Kinder, die draußen spielen, sind laut. — The children who play outside are loud.

Wo sind die Schlüssel, die hier lagen? — Where are the keys that were lying here?

Note the comma before every relative pronoun and the verb at the end of the relative clause.

Word Order

German relative clauses follow strict word order rules:

Structure: Main clause, [comma] [relative pronoun] ... [verb at END]

Ich kenne den Mann, der in unserem Haus wohnt.

Breaking it down:

• Main clause: "Ich kenne den Mann" — I know the man
• Comma separates the clauses
• Relative pronoun: der (masculine, matches "Mann")
• Remaining clause elements: "in unserem Haus"
• Conjugated verb at the END: wohnt

When the relative clause appears in the middle of the main clause, it is enclosed by commas on both sides, and the main clause verb follows:

Der Mann, der in unserem Haus wohnt, ist sehr freundlich.

Here the main clause verb "ist" follows directly after the closing comma of the relative clause.

With Separable Verbs

When the relative clause contains a separable verb, the prefix and verb rejoin at the end:

Die Frau, die morgen ankommt, ist meine Tante. — The woman who arrives tomorrow is my aunt.

With Modal Verbs

With a modal verb, the infinitive goes to the very end:

Das Kind, das nicht schlafen kann, weint. — The child who cannot sleep is crying.

Tips

1. The relative pronoun's gender matches the ANTECEDENT (the noun being described), not anything inside the relative clause.
2. Always put a comma before the relative pronoun — this is mandatory in German, unlike English where "that" clauses often skip the comma.
3. The verb goes to the END of the relative clause — this is the most important word order rule.
4. Nominative relative pronouns look identical to definite articles — but they introduce a subordinate clause with verb-final position.
5. If the relative clause is in the middle of a sentence, don't forget the comma after it too — both commas are required.