German · B2 · Everyday language
Commenting on the whole situation in German
Use a relative clause with was to comment on a whole event or statement: what it caused, why it mattered, or how someone reacted. Here, was means “which” and refers to the entire preceding statement, not a single noun.
What you'll learn
- Connect an event with its consequence or your reaction using was.
- Recognise when was refers to a whole statement.
- Separate the was-clause with a comma and place its finite verb at the end.
German phrases for commenting on the whole situation
Du hast beide Seiten erklärt, was mir geholfen hat, das Ganze zu verstehen.
You explained both sides, which helped me understand.
Was refers to your explaining both sides. The finite verb hat ends the relative clause's verb group; the added phrase das Ganze zu verstehen states what became easier.
Niemand hat jemanden unterbrochen, was eine angenehme Abwechslung war.
Nobody interrupted, which made a pleasant change.
The pleasant change is the whole situation: nobody interrupted anyone. War comes last.
Die Frist hat sich verschoben, was uns etwas Luft verschafft.
The deadline has moved, which gives us some breathing space.
Was links the changed deadline to its consequence. Etwas Luft means “some breathing space” here.
Ich habe vor meiner Antwort noch einmal nachgesehen, was ein Missverständnis verhindert hat.
I checked before replying, which prevented a misunderstanding.
Was refers to checking before answering. The verb group verhindert hat ends the clause.
Wir sind zum gleichen Schluss gekommen, was uns beide überrascht hat.
We reached the same conclusion, which surprised us both.
The surprising thing is that we reached the same conclusion, not the conclusion alone.
Sie hat zugegeben, dass sie unsicher war, was ich wirklich respektiert habe.
She admitted she was unsure, which I really respected.
Was comments on her admission as a whole. Ich is the subject of the reaction; habe comes last.
Du hast dich an die Details erinnert, was uns einen weiteren Anruf erspart hat.
You remembered the details, which saved us another phone call.
Was refers to remembering the details, not to die Details itself.
Alle hatten eine andere Antwort, was mich neugierig gemacht hat.
Everyone had a different answer, which made me curious.
The variety of answers made the speaker curious. The finite verb hat comes last.
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
die Seite, die Seiten
side; perspective
Beide Seiten means both sides of an issue or disagreement.
die Abwechslung, die Abwechslungen
change; variety
Eine angenehme Abwechslung is a pleasant change from the usual situation.
die Frist, die Fristen
deadline; time limit
Die Frist hat sich verschoben means the deadline has moved.
die Luft, die Lüfte
air; breathing space
Etwas Luft verschaffen means to provide breathing space. This figurative meaning uses only the singular; the plural is mainly poetic.
das Missverständnis, die Missverständnisse
misunderstanding
Ein Missverständnis verhindern means to prevent a misunderstanding.
der Schluss, die Schlüsse
conclusion
Zum gleichen Schluss kommen means to reach the same conclusion.
das Detail, die Details
detail
Sich an die Details erinnern means to remember the details.
der Anruf, die Anrufe
phone call
Jemandem einen Anruf ersparen means to save someone a phone call.
neugierig
curious
Das hat mich neugierig gemacht means “That made me curious.”
Was refers to the whole statement
Add a comma and a was-clause to give a consequence, evaluation, or reaction. Was means “which” in the sense of “and that fact/event …”. It does not describe a single noun in the preceding clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | Statement, was + consequence. | Die Frist hat sich verschoben, was uns etwas Luft verschafft. |
| Evaluation | Statement, was + evaluation. | Niemand hat jemanden unterbrochen, was eine angenehme Abwechslung war. |
| Reaction | Statement, was + reaction. | Wir sind zum gleichen Schluss gekommen, was uns beide überrascht hat. |
Word order in the was-clause
The finite verb goes at the end of the was-clause. With a two-part verb group, the finite auxiliary follows the participle. Was can itself be the subject, or it can be the object when someone else is reacting. An added infinitive phrase can follow the relative clause's verb group, as in was mir geholfen hat, das Ganze zu verstehen.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Was as subject | was + other elements + finite verb | …, was uns etwas Luft verschafft. |
| Two-part verb group | was + other elements + participle + finite auxiliary | …, was uns beide überrascht hat. |
| Was as object | was + subject + other elements + verb group | …, was ich wirklich respektiert habe. |
More examples
Wir haben alle Spielsachen gefunden, was die Kinder sehr gefreut hat.
We found all the toys, which made the children very happy.
Was refers to finding all the toys, not to the toys themselves.
Du hast ruhig zugehört, was ich sehr hilfreich fand.
You listened calmly, which I found very helpful.
Ich is the subject of the was-clause, and fand is its final verb.
Alle waren pünktlich da, was uns mehr Zeit zum Spielen gegeben hat.
Everyone was there on time, which gave us more time to play.
The was-clause adds the result of everyone arriving on time; hat comes last.