derjenigen

Derjenige is a German demonstrative pronoun and, in some contexts, a determiner, used to refer to a person or thing already mentioned or clearly identifiable in the surrounding context. It functions to point to “the one(s) who” or “the person/people in question,” and it can introduce a relative clause or stand with a following noun.

Declension and forms follow the pattern of other der- words. The nominative forms are derjenige (masculine), diejenige (feminine), dasjenige (neuter), and diejenigen (plural). The genitive, dative, and accusative forms are desjenigen, derjenigen (feminine/plural), demjenigen (masc/neut), derjenigen (fem/pl) and denjenigen, diejenige, dasjenige, diejenigen respectively for the accusative in each gender/number. In practice, the pronoun is most often used in its singular forms with a matching noun or as a stand-alone referent in clauses.

Usage notes and examples illustrate its function. As a stand-alone pronoun: “Derjenige, der heute angerufen hat, ist mein Nachbar.” As a determiner before a noun: “Derjenige Mann, der da steht, ist mein Nachbar” or “Diejenige Möglichkeit, die du vorschlägst, lohnt sich.” In plural: “Diejenigen, die pünktlich sind, erhalten eine Belohnung.” The term is relatively formal and common in written language, discourse that emphasizes specificity, or contexts where repeating a noun would be stylistically inelegant.

Relation to similar forms: derjenige is related to jene and derselbe, but differs in nuance. Jene can be more distant, derselbe emphasizes identity with a previously mentioned item, and derjenige highlights the particular person or item in question.