Relative Clauses in the Dative Case
Relative clauses add descriptive details about a noun. The relative pronoun matches the noun's gender and number, but its case depends on its grammatical role inside the relative clause itself.
Use the dative case if the pronoun is the object of a dative verb (such as vertrauen, helfen, gehören, or gefallen) or follows a dative preposition (such as mit or von).
Like all subordinate clauses, relative clauses send the conjugated verb to the very end. Always separate them from the rest of the sentence with commas.
| Gender / Number | Dative Relative Pronoun |
|---|---|
| Masculine | dem |
| Neuter | dem |
| Feminine | der |
| Plural | denen |
Masculine and Neuter: dem
For masculine and neuter nouns, the dative relative pronoun is dem.
| That is the contact whom I trust. | Das ist der Kontakt, dem ich vertraue. |
| He works in a network about which nobody knows anything. | Er arbeitet in einem Netzwerk, von dem niemand etwas weiß. |
Remember that some verbs, like gefallen (to be pleasing to), require a dative object. When the relative pronoun acts as this object, it takes the dative form.
| It is important to find a reliable architect who likes the house. | Es ist wichtig, einen zuverlässigen Architekten zu finden, dem das Haus gefällt. |
Feminine: der
For feminine nouns, the dative relative pronoun is der.
| That is the agency to which the new project belongs. | Das ist die Agentur, der das neue Projekt gehört. |
| The agency that we trust is very competent. | Die Agentur, der wir vertrauen, ist sehr kompetent. |
Plural: denen
For plural nouns of any gender, use the dative relative pronoun denen.
| In my network, there are many people whom I gladly help. | In meinem Netzwerk gibt es viele Leute, denen ich gern helfe. |
| I would like to have more contacts with whom I can discuss this. | Ich hätte gern mehr Kontakte, mit denen ich darüber diskutieren kann. |
