German · B1 · Everyday language
Your Trusted Grownups in German
Learn to describe the trusted grownups who care for your little one. These phrases use the dative relative pronouns dem, der and denen with verbs such as helfen, danken, glauben and vertrauen.
What you'll learn
- Talk about family members and professionals who help care for a baby.
- Choose dem, der or denen to mean “whom” with verbs that take the dative.
- Place the conjugated verb at the end of a German relative clause.
- Distinguish glauben, meaning “to believe,” from vertrauen, meaning “to trust.”
German phrases for your trusted grownups
Das ist der Arzt, dem wir bei deinen Vorsorgeuntersuchungen vertrauen.
That is the doctor whom we trust with your check-ups.
Vertrauen takes the dative, so der Arzt is represented by dem. Bei deinen Vorsorgeuntersuchungen means “during your check-ups.”
Hier ist die Oma, der ich mit deinem Kinderwagen helfe.
Here is the grandmother whom I am helping with your pram.
Oma is the warm, everyday word for “grandmother.” Helfen takes the dative, so the relative pronoun for die Oma is der.
Das sind die Pflegekräfte, denen wir für ihre behutsame Pflege danken.
Those are the nurses whom we thank for their gentle care.
Pflegekräfte is a gender-inclusive term for nursing or care staff. Danken takes the dative; the plural relative pronoun is denen.
Der Vater, dem ich helfe, trägt sein schlafendes Baby.
The father whom I am helping is carrying his sleeping baby.
Dem ich helfe describes the father. German uses the present tense helfe for both “I help” and “I am helping.”
Die Hebamme, der ich vertraue, hat Tipps zum Füttern.
The midwife whom I trust has advice about feeding.
Die Hebamme is feminine, so use der after vertrauen. Tipps zum Füttern means “tips about feeding.”
Die Eltern, denen wir helfen, haben neugeborene Zwillinge.
The parents whom we are helping have newborn twins.
Eltern is plural. Use denen because the parents receive the help.
Der Arzt, dem ich glaube, sagt, dass du gut wächst.
The doctor whom I believe says that you are growing well.
Jemandem glauben means to believe what someone says. Both glaube and wächst come at the end of their respective subordinate clauses.
Der Nachbar, dem wir danken, hat uns nach deiner Geburt Abendessen gebracht.
The neighbour whom we thank brought us dinner after you were born.
Dem follows the dative requirement of danken. Nach deiner Geburt means “after your birth,” a natural way to express “after you were born.”
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 Vorsorgeuntersuchung
routine check-up; preventive medical examination
Plural: die Vorsorgeuntersuchungen. Used for regular checks on a child's health and development.
der Kinderwagen
pram; baby carriage; stroller
Mit takes the dative: mit deinem Kinderwagen.
die Pflegekraft
nurse; care worker
Plural: die Pflegekräfte. The noun is grammatically feminine but can refer to a person of any gender.
behutsam
gentle; careful
Behutsame Pflege describes care given gently and carefully.
die Hebamme
midwife
Plural: die Hebammen.
das Füttern
feeding
A verb used as a noun, so it is capitalized. Zum Füttern means “for feeding” or, after Tipps, “about feeding.” Breastfeeding is das Stillen.
neugeborene Zwillinge
newborn twins
The singular noun is der Zwilling. Neugeboren means “newborn.”
der Nachbar
male neighbour
For a female neighbour, use die Nachbarin and the dative relative pronoun der.
Choosing dem, der or denen
A relative clause adds information about a noun. The noun determines the relative pronoun's gender and number. Its role inside the relative clause determines its case. Here, the verbs require the dative.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine or neuter singular | dem | Der Vater, dem ich helfe, trägt das Baby. / Das Team, dem wir vertrauen, ist freundlich. |
| Feminine singular | der | Die Hebamme, der ich vertraue, ist freundlich. |
| Plural, all genders | denen | Die Eltern, denen wir helfen, haben Zwillinge. |
Four verbs that take a dative person
With these verbs, the person helped, thanked, believed or trusted is in the dative. Use dem, der or denen—not the accusative forms den or die—in these relative clauses.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Help someone | jemandem helfen | Das ist die Oma, der ich helfe. |
| Thank someone for something | jemandem für etwas danken | Das sind die Pflegekräfte, denen wir für ihre Hilfe danken. |
| Believe someone | jemandem glauben | Das ist der Arzt, dem ich glaube. |
| Trust someone | jemandem vertrauen | Das ist die Hebamme, der ich vertraue. |
Relative-clause word order and commas
Put the relative clause directly after the noun it describes. The conjugated verb goes at the end of that clause. Always separate a relative clause with commas, and do not leave out the relative pronoun as you sometimes can in English.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Relative clause at the end | Main clause, relative pronoun + subject + other words + verb. | Das ist der Arzt, dem wir vertrauen. |
| Relative clause inside the main clause | Main-clause subject, relative clause, rest of main clause. | Der Vater, dem ich helfe, trägt sein Baby. |
More examples
Der Opa, dem wir vertrauen, passt auf dich auf.
The grandad whom we trust looks after you.
Der Opa is masculine; vertrauen requires dem.
Die Ärztin, der ich glaube, sagt, dass du gesund bist.
The female doctor whom I believe says that you are healthy.
Die Ärztin is feminine, so the dative relative pronoun is der.
Die Freunde, denen wir danken, haben uns Essen gebracht.
The friends whom we thank brought us food.
Die Freunde is plural, so use denen with danken.