German · B1 · Everyday language
Familiar Baby Favourites in German
Use these warm, everyday phrases to help your child recognise familiar people and favourite things. Practise accusative relative pronouns: den, die and das, including plural die.
What you'll learn
- Name familiar people and objects in everyday conversations with your child.
- Choose an accusative relative pronoun that matches the noun’s gender and number.
- Use a separate subject and place the conjugated verb at the end of a relative clause.
German phrases for familiar baby favourites
Hier ist der Teddy, den du heute Morgen umarmt hast.
Here is the teddy that you hugged this morning.
Teddy is masculine. Den is the object of umarmt hast; du is the subject.
Das ist der Kinderwagen, den wir gekauft haben, bevor du geboren wurdest.
This is the pram that we bought before you were born.
Den refers to the masculine Kinderwagen. Wir is the subject, and haben ends the relative clause. Bevor introduces a separate time clause.
Wo ist die Decke, die Oma dir gegeben hat?
Where is the blanket that Grandma gave you?
Die refers to the feminine Decke and is the direct object. Oma is the subject; dir means 'to you' and is dative.
Ich wasche die Flasche, die du vorhin benutzt hast.
I'll wash the bottle that you used earlier.
Die refers to the feminine Flasche. German often uses the present tense for an immediate intention, where English uses 'I'll'.
Das ist das Spielzeug, das du neben dem Sofa fallen gelassen hast.
This is the toy that you dropped beside the sofa.
Das refers to the neuter Spielzeug. Fallen lassen means 'to drop'; hast comes at the end of the relative clause.
Hier ist das Buch, das wir vor deinem Schläfchen angeschaut haben.
Here is the book that we looked at before your nap.
Das refers to the neuter Buch. Unlike English 'look at', German anschauen takes a direct object without a preposition.
Das sind die Socken, die du im Kinderwagen ausgezogen hast.
These are the socks that you pulled off in the pram.
Plural accusative die refers to Socken. Ausziehen means 'to take off' when talking about clothing.
Der Arzt, den wir gestern gesehen haben, war sehr behutsam mit dir.
The doctor whom we saw yesterday was very gentle with you.
Den refers to the masculine Arzt. The relative clause interrupts the main clause, so it has a comma on each side.
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 Teddy
teddy bear
A familiar short form of der Teddybär.
der Kinderwagen
pram; pushchair
Im Kinderwagen means 'in the pram'; im is short for in dem.
die Decke
blanket
In this context, Decke means a blanket used for warmth.
die Flasche
bottle
For a baby's feeding bottle, the affectionate form das Fläschchen is also common.
das Spielzeug
toy; toys
Can refer to one toy or to toys collectively. Here it means one toy.
das Schläfchen
nap
A gentle, familiar word for a short sleep. Nouns ending in -chen are neuter.
vorhin
earlier; a little while ago
Refers to a recent time before now.
behutsam
gentle; careful
Describes treating someone with care, especially when touching or handling them.
Choosing the accusative relative pronoun
A relative clause gives more information about a noun. The pronoun matches that noun’s gender and number. Its case depends on its job inside the relative clause. Here it is the direct object: the person or thing someone hugs, buys, sees or uses.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | den | der Teddy, den du umarmt hast |
| Feminine singular | die | die Flasche, die du benutzt hast |
| Neuter singular | das | das Buch, das wir angeschaut haben |
| Plural, all genders | die | die Socken, die du ausgezogen hast |
A separate subject and a clause-final verb
The relative pronoun is the object, not the subject. Another word, such as du, wir or Oma, tells you who performs the action. The conjugated verb goes at the end. In the perfect tense, the past participle comes before the final auxiliary hast, hat or haben.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pattern | relative pronoun + subject + other information + conjugated verb | die Flasche, die du jetzt benutzt |
| Perfect tense | relative pronoun + subject + other information + past participle + auxiliary | der Teddy, den du heute Morgen umarmt hast |
| Direct object and recipient | die = direct object; Oma = subject; dir = dative recipient | die Decke, die Oma dir gegeben hat |
Commas and the noun’s role
Always separate a German relative clause with commas. Use two commas if the main clause continues afterwards. The noun’s case in the main clause does not determine the relative pronoun’s case. Unlike English 'that', a German relative pronoun cannot be left out.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Relative clause at the end | main clause, relative clause | Hier ist der Teddy, den du heute Morgen umarmt hast. |
| Relative clause in the middle | main clause opening, relative clause, main clause continuation | Der Arzt, den wir gestern gesehen haben, war sehr behutsam mit dir. |
| Different roles in the two clauses | der Arzt = main-clause subject; den = relative-clause object | Der Arzt, den wir gestern gesehen haben, war sehr behutsam mit dir. |
More examples
Wo ist der Teddy, den du suchst?
Where is the teddy that you are looking for?
Du is the subject; den is the direct object of suchst. The conjugated verb comes last.
Hier sind die Socken, die wir gewaschen haben.
Here are the socks that we washed.
Die is the plural accusative relative pronoun. In the perfect tense, haben comes after gewaschen.