German · B1 · Everyday language
Who Belongs Here in German
Describe familiar people and things at school with German relative clauses. These add helpful details such as who lives nearby or which shoes belong in a sports bag.
What you'll learn
- Use der, die and das to add information about a person or thing.
- Choose a relative pronoun using the German noun's gender and number.
- Recognize when the relative pronoun is the subject.
- Place the finite verb at the end of a simple relative clause.
German phrases for who belongs here
Das ist die Lehrerin, die deinen Leseclub leitet.
That is the teacher who runs your reading club.
Lehrerin refers to a female teacher, so use die. For a male teacher: der Lehrer, der deinen Leseclub leitet.
Hier ist die Brotdose, die dein Essen kühl hält.
Here is the lunchbox that keeps your food cool.
Die refers to the feminine noun Brotdose. The verb hält comes at the end.
Ist das das Kind, das nebenan wohnt?
Is that the child who lives next door?
Kind is grammatically neuter, so its relative pronoun is das, even though it refers to a person.
Das sind die Freunde, die oft zum Spielen vorbeikommen.
Those are the friends who often come over to play.
Plural nouns use die. The separable verb vorbeikommen stays together at the end of the relative clause.
Wir brauchen einen Schulranzen, der dir richtig passt.
We need a school bag that fits you properly.
Einen Schulranzen is the object of brauchen, but der is the subject of passt. Passen takes the dative: dir.
Das ist der Trainer, der deine Gruppe dienstags trainiert.
That is the coach who teaches your group on Tuesdays.
Trainiert naturally means coaches or trains here. Dienstags means every Tuesday. For a female coach, use die Trainerin, die.
Das sind die Schuhe, die in deine Sporttasche gehören.
These are the shoes that belong in your sports bag.
Die refers to plural Schuhe. In deine Sporttasche gehören describes where the shoes should be kept.
Lass uns ein Buch aussuchen, das erklärt, warum Zähne ausfallen.
Let's choose a book that explains why teeth fall out.
Das refers to neuter Buch. The extra clause warum Zähne ausfallen follows erklärt and has its own verb at the end.
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 Leseclub
reading club
Einen Club leiten means to run or lead a club.
die Brotdose
lunchbox
A common word for a box used to carry sandwiches or snacks.
nebenan
next door
Use nebenan wohnen for living next door.
vorbeikommen
to come over; to drop by
Compare Sie kommen vorbei with Freunde, die vorbeikommen.
der Schulranzen
school bag; school satchel
Usually a structured school bag, especially for younger children.
dienstags
on Tuesdays
Describes something that happens regularly on Tuesdays.
ausfallen
to fall out
Used here for teeth: Die Zähne fallen aus.
Choose the nominative relative pronoun
When the relative pronoun is the subject of its clause, use these nominative forms. Match the German noun's gender and number, not the English choice of who or that.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | der | der Trainer, der deine Gruppe trainiert |
| Feminine singular | die | die Lehrerin, die deinen Leseclub leitet |
| Neuter singular | das | das Kind, das nebenan wohnt |
| Plural: all genders | die | die Schuhe, die in deine Sporttasche gehören |
Commas and verb position
Separate a relative clause from the main clause with a comma. In a simple relative clause, the finite verb—the form that agrees with the subject—comes last. German relative pronouns cannot be left out.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pattern | noun + comma + relative pronoun + other information + finite verb | Hier ist die Brotdose, die dein Essen kühl hält. |
| Separable verb | Keep the prefix attached to the clause-final verb. | Das sind die Freunde, die oft zum Spielen vorbeikommen. |
| An additional dependent clause | A warum-clause can follow the relative clause's verb. | ein Buch, das erklärt, warum Zähne ausfallen |
The pronoun's job determines its case
The noun's case in the main clause does not determine the relative pronoun's case. Ask who or what performs the action inside the relative clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Object outside, subject inside | einen Schulranzen → der | Wir brauchen einen Schulranzen, der dir richtig passt. |
More examples
Das ist der Lehrer, der deinen Leseclub leitet.
That is the teacher who runs your reading club.
Use Lehrer and der when referring to a male teacher.
Ist das die Freundin, die nebenan wohnt?
Is that the friend who lives next door?
Freundin refers to a female friend and takes die.
Das sind die Kinder, die oft zum Spielen vorbeikommen.
Those are the children who often come over to play.
Singular das Kind becomes plural die Kinder, so the relative pronoun changes to die.