Relative pronouns

Function

Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, which specify a fact about an object or a person. The gender of the relative pronoun is determined by the gender of the word to which it refers, and its case is determined by its function in the relative clause. Relative clauses use dependent word order.

Der Mann, den wir heute getroffen haben, arbeitet in Berlin.
Ich kenne seine Frau, die oft mit ihm reist. The man whom we met today works in Berlin.
I know his wife, who often travels with him.

Form

Relative pronouns have the same form as demonstrative pronouns, or as definite articles (with the exception of the dative plural and the genitive singular and plural).

Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural

Nominative
Accusative
Dative
Genitive der
den
dem
dessen die
die
der
deren das
das
dem
dessen die
die
denen
deren

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative Accusative Dative Genitive	der den dem dessen	die die der deren	das das dem dessen	die die denen deren

Ich kenne niemanden, der mir helfen kann.
Die Frau, deren Auto da steht, ist im Büro. I know of no one, who can help me.
The woman, whose car is standing there, is in the office.

wo-compounds

If a relative pronoun is the object of a preposition and refers to a thing, rather than a person, the preposition-pronoun combination often appears as a wo-compound.

Der Computer, worauf er arbeitet, ist kaputt.
Die Stํte, wodurch wir fahren, sind interessant.
Der Mann, mit dem Sie gesprochen haben, heisst Hans.

The computer on which he is working is broken.
The cities we are driving through are interesting.
The man with whom you were speaking is named Hans.