Relativsätze

Relativsätze, also known as relative clauses, are subordinate clauses that provide additional information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause. They function like adjectives, describing or specifying the antecedent. In German, relative clauses are introduced by relative pronouns such as der, die, das, welcher, welche, welches, wer, and was. The choice of relative pronoun depends on the gender, number, and case of the noun it refers to, as well as its function within the relative clause.

The verb in a German relative clause is always placed at the end of the clause. For example, "Das ist der Mann, der mir geholfen hat." (That is the man who helped me.) Here, "der mir geholfen hat" is the relative clause, with "der" referring to "der Mann" and "hat" at the end. If the relative pronoun is the direct object, the accusative case is used, e.g., "Das ist das Buch, das ich gelesen habe." (That is the book that I read.) For indirect objects, the dative case is employed, such as in "Das ist die Frau, der ich geholfen habe." (That is the woman to whom I helped.)

Relative clauses can also be introduced by the relative adverbial wo, typically used when referring to a place or a specific point in time, e.g., "Das ist das Haus, wo ich wohne." (That is the house where I live.) These clauses are essential for creating more complex and descriptive sentences in German, allowing speakers and writers to convey precise information and avoid repetition.