At CEFR level A2, you learn to build Relativsätze, relative clauses that describe a noun (Bezugswort). A Relativsatz is introduced by a Relativpronomen and always follows the noun directly.
A Relativsatz describes a noun (Bezugswort) more closely. It is introduced by a Relativpronomen and is a Nebensatz → verb at the end.
| Kasus | maskulin | feminin | neutral | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der | die | das | die |
| Akkusativ | den | die | das | die |
| Dativ | dem | der | dem | denen |
die Tasche (f.) → Die Tasche, die du trägst, ist neu.
der Student fragt (Nom.) → Der Student, der fragt, sitzt vorne.
ich spreche den Studenten an (Akk.) → Der Student, den ich anspreche, ist neu.
The preposition goes directly before the Relativpronomen and determines the case:
A Relativsatz is a subordinate clause (Nebensatz) that describes a noun (Bezugswort). It is introduced by a Relativpronomen and always follows the noun directly. The conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause, and the clause is separated from the main clause by a comma.
Example: Ich habe eine Kollegin, die fließend Japanisch spricht.
Two independent decisions, in order:
1. Gender & number, from the Bezugswort in the main clause.
2. Case, from the role of the pronoun inside the relative clause: subject → Nominativ, direct object → Akkusativ, indirect object / dative verb → Dativ.
Example: der Mann (masc.) + subject role → der; + direct object role → den.
Denen is the Dativ plural Relativpronomen, the only form that differs from the definite article (which would be den). Use it when the noun is plural and the pronoun is an indirect object or follows a dative verb.
Example: Die Freunde, denen ich geholfen habe, wohnen jetzt in Köln.
Always to the final position, a Relativsatz is a Nebensatz and follows verb-final word order for all verb forms.
Simple present: …, der das Licht ausmacht (separable verbs do NOT split)
Perfekt: …, die den Zug verpasst hat
Modal: …, das er kaufen will