welchem

Welchem is a form of the German interrogative and relative determiner welch-, used to ask about or refer to a specific item in the dative case. It serves as the dative singular masculine and neuter form, and appears in both questions and relative clauses.

In questions, welch- forms with dative endings appear after prepositions that govern the dative, as in In welchem Haus wohnst du? (In which house do you live?) or Mit welchem Plan gehen wir vor? (With which plan are we proceeding?). In relative clauses, welchem can also function as the relative pronoun, for example Das ist der Ort, in welchem er lebt. (That is the place in which he lives.)

Declension and related forms follow the patterns of the welch- family. The masculine and neuter dative singular form is welchem, the feminine dative singular form is welcher, and the plural dative form is welchen. These endings mirror the broader German declension of interrogative determiners and their use with different genders and numbers.

Etymologically, welch- originates from Old High German and Middle High German forms meaning “which,” closely related to the English word “which.” It is generally more common in written or formal German, especially in longer clauses or where a precise, non-colloquial tone is desired. In everyday speech, speakers often replace welchem with simpler constructions using the definite article in the appropriate case (in dem, mit wem, etc.), though welch- forms remain standard in many contexts. See also: welcher, welches, welche.