German · B1 · Everyday language
An extra clue in one sentence in German
Add a short relative clause to identify a person or thing by what they do. Use der, die or das for “who” or “that”, and put the conjugated verb at the end of the relative clause.
What you'll learn
- Add a helpful identifying clue after a noun.
- Choose der, die or das to match the noun’s grammatical gender, and die for plural nouns.
- Use the relative pronoun as the subject of the relative clause.
- Separate the relative clause with a comma and place its conjugated verb at the end.
German phrases for an extra clue in one sentence
Das ist der Hausmeister, der die Schultore öffnet.
That is the caretaker who opens the school gates.
Der refers to der Hausmeister and is the subject of öffnet.
Ich kenne ein Mädchen, das drei Sprachen spricht.
I know a girl who speaks three languages.
Mädchen is grammatically neuter, so use das even though you are talking about a person.
Wir brauchen ein Spiel, das in diese Tasche passt.
We need a game that fits in this bag.
Das refers to das Spiel. Passt comes at the end of the relative clause.
Das sind die Kinder, die im Chor singen.
Those are the children who sing in the choir.
Plural die refers to the children and takes the plural verb singen.
Wo ist der Stift, der lila schreibt?
Where is the pen that writes in purple?
Der refers to der Stift. The identifying clue ends with schreibt.
Hier ist der Schlüssel, der den Schuppen öffnet.
Here is the key that opens the shed.
Der is the subject of öffnet: the key opens the shed.
Ist das der Bus, der in der Nähe unserer Schule hält?
Is that the bus that stops near our school?
Even in a question, the relative clause has its conjugated verb, hält, at the end.
Ich mag Puzzles, die etwas länger dauern.
I like puzzles that take a little longer.
Puzzles is plural, so use die with the plural verb dauern.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
der Hausmeister
caretaker; building custodian
Plural: die Hausmeister.
das Schultor
school gate
Plural: die Schultore.
das Mädchen
girl
Plural: die Mädchen. Grammatically neuter.
die Sprache
language
Plural: die Sprachen.
das Spiel
game
Plural: die Spiele.
die Tasche
bag
Plural: die Taschen.
das Kind
child
Plural: die Kinder.
der Chor
choir
Plural: die Chöre.
der Stift
pen; pencil
Plural: die Stifte. A general word for a writing instrument; here it means a pen.
der Schlüssel
key
Plural: die Schlüssel.
der Schuppen
shed
Plural: die Schuppen.
der Bus
bus
Plural: die Busse.
die Schule
school
Plural: die Schulen.
das Puzzle
jigsaw puzzle
Plural: die Puzzles. For riddles or brainteasers, use das Rätsel, plural die Rätsel.
passen
to fit
In diese Tasche passen means “to fit in this bag”.
dauern
to last; to take time
Etwas länger dauern means “to take a little longer”.
Choose the relative pronoun
A relative clause follows a noun and adds a clue about it. In this unit, the relative pronoun is the subject: it tells us who or what does the action. Use the nominative forms below, matching the noun’s grammatical gender and number—not whether English uses “who” or “that”.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | der | der Bus, der in der Nähe unserer Schule hält |
| Feminine singular | die | die Frau, die drei Sprachen spricht |
| Neuter singular | das | das Mädchen, das drei Sprachen spricht |
| Plural: all genders | die | die Kinder, die im Chor singen |
Build the identifying clue
Put a comma before the relative clause. Start it with the relative pronoun and put the finite (conjugated) verb at the end. The pronoun itself is the subject, so do not add er, sie or es. Use a singular verb for a singular noun and a plural verb for a plural noun.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence pattern | main clause + comma + relative pronoun + other information + finite verb | Wir brauchen ein Spiel, das in diese Tasche passt. |
| The pronoun is the subject | der + other information + öffnet | Hier ist der Schlüssel, der den Schuppen öffnet. |
| Singular verb | die + other information + singt | Das ist die Frau, die im Chor singt. |
| Plural verb | die + other information + singen | Das sind die Kinder, die im Chor singen. |
More examples
Das ist die Lehrerin, die drei Sprachen spricht.
That is the teacher who speaks three languages.
Die Lehrerin is feminine, so the relative pronoun is die.
Wo ist das Kind, das im Chor singt?
Where is the child who sings in the choir?
Das Kind is neuter. Use das for “who” here.
Wir suchen Spiele, die in diese Tasche passen.
We are looking for games that fit in this bag.
Plural die goes with the plural verb passen at the end.
Ich brauche einen Stift, der lila schreibt.
I need a pen that writes in purple.
Use der because it is the subject of schreibt, regardless of the noun’s role in the main clause.