Relative Clauses in German

German uses relative clauses to add information about a noun, just like English with “who,” “that,” or “which.” The relative clause comes right after the noun it describes, and is introduced by a relative pronoun such as der, die, or das (choosing the form based on gender, number, and case). The verb in the relative clause always goes to the end.

Forming Restrictive Relative Clauses

A restrictive relative clause gives essential information about the noun. In German, use the relative pronouns (der, die, das, des, ein), adjusting for gender and case.

Examples:

• Das Buch, das ich lese, ist spannend.
• Der Mann, der im Park joggt, ist mein Nachbar.
• Die Frau, die anruft, ist meine Mutter.
• Das Auto, das vor dem Haus steht, ist neu.

In these sentences, the clause is necessary to identify what or who we are talking about.

Forming Non-Restrictive Relative Clauses

Non-restrictive relative clauses add extra information that is not essential for identifying the noun. These are usually set off by commas in German as in English.

Examples:

• Mein Bruder, der in Berlin wohnt, besucht uns oft.
• Das Haus, das wir kaufen möchten, ist sehr alt.
• Frau Schmidt, die unsere Nachbarin ist, backt gern Kuchen.

Here, the information could be omitted without losing the main point.

Using dass, als, als ob, wenn

These are not standard relative pronouns, but they often appear in subordinate clauses, sometimes mistaken for relative clauses by learners.

• dass introduces a reported speech or thought, not a relative clause:

  • Ich weiß, dass du müde bist.

• als is used for comparisons or with past time expressions:

  • Als ich jung war, spielte ich viel Fußball.

• als ob introduces hypothetical comparisons:

  • Er tut so, als ob er kein Geld hätte.

• wenn means "if" or "when" and starts conditional or temporal clauses:

  • Ruf mich an, wenn du Zeit hast.

These words do not introduce relative clauses, but learners can confuse them because they lead to subordinate clauses and also send the verb to the end.

Summary Examples for Practice:

• Der Film, den wir gestern gesehen haben, war lustig.
• Das Kind, das draußen spielt, heißt Lukas.
• Mein Onkel, der in Kanada lebt, kommt zu Besuch.

German relative clauses are precise, so pay attention to the gender, number, and case when choosing der, die, das, and their other forms. Commas always separate the relative clause from the rest of the sentence, both in restrictive and non-restrictive cases.