Relative pronouns as direct objects
When reviewing books or movies, you will often use relative clauses where the relative pronoun is the direct object.
When the relative pronoun is the direct object of its clause, it takes the accusative case. Just like definite articles, only the masculine form changes:
- den for masculine nouns
- die for feminine nouns
- das for neuter nouns
Notice how the masculine pronoun changes to den:
| The novel that I am reading right now is very exciting. | Der Roman, den ich gerade lese, ist sehr spannend. |
| The actor that you mean is terrible. | Der Schauspieler, den du meinst, ist schrecklich. |
Feminine and neuter relative pronouns
Feminine (die) and neuter (das) relative pronouns look exactly the same in the accusative case as they do in the nominative.
Remember to set off the relative clause with commas and push its conjugated verb to the very end:
| The plot that the author describes is exciting. | Die Handlung, die der Autor beschreibt, ist spannend. |
| I find the ending that you wrote terrible. | Das Ende, das du geschrieben hast, finde ich schrecklich. |
Mixing and matching cases
The relative pronoun gets its gender from the noun it describes, but its case comes entirely from its role inside the relative clause.
The noun in the main sentence can be in any case. As long as the relative pronoun is the direct object of the relative clause, the pronoun will be accusative.
Here, den Roman is the direct object of the main clause, and den is the direct object of the relative clause:
| We already bought the novel that you mean. | Wir haben den Roman, den du meinst, schon gekauft. |
Here, die Handlung is the direct object of the main sentence, and die is the direct object of the relative clause:
| The scene explains the plot that we do not understand. | Die Szene erklärt die Handlung, die wir nicht verstehen. |
