When a strict bouncer at an exclusive nightclub dictates exactly who gets in and who gets turned away, they might use sentences starting with "Whoever..." or "Whomever...". In German, we form these using free relative clauses.
Unlike standard relative clauses that describe a specific noun (like "the man who..."), free relative clauses are the noun. They stand completely on their own, essentially acting as headless subjects or objects.
Starting with "Wer" (Whoever)
To say "Whoever...", use the nominative question word wer. Because this forms a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb is kicked to the very end of the phrase.
When the "whoever" clause starts the sentence, that entire clause acts as position one. This means the main clause following the comma must start immediately with its conjugated verb.
| Whoever has no money stays outside. | Wer kein Geld hat, bleibt draußen. |
| Whoever is a regular guest does not need to wait. | Wer Stammgast ist, braucht nicht zu warten. |
Linking with Pronouns
If a free relative clause comes first, German often uses a demonstrative pronoun (like der, den, or dem) immediately after the comma to start the main clause. This pronoun is required if the person's grammatical role (case) shifts between the two halves of the sentence.
For example, if "whoever" is the subject of the first clause, but the object of the main clause:
| Whoever is a regular guest, I let in. | Wer Stammgast ist, den lasse ich herein. |
| Whoever wears sneakers, I turn away. | Wer Turnschuhe trägt, den weise ich ab. |
Using "Wen" and "Wem"
If the action inside the "whoever" clause happens to the person, change wer to match the required case: wen (whomever) for accusative, and wem for dative.
| Whomever I know, I always let in. | Wen ich kenne, den lasse ich immer herein. |
In the next example, the first half is dative (because egal sein takes a dative object), but the second half is accusative (because ignorieren takes a direct object):
| Whoever the dress code does not matter to, I ignore. | Wem der Dresscode egal ist, den ignoriere ich. |
And here, the first half is dative, but the second half is nominative:
| Whoever the dress code does not matter to stays outside. | Wem der Dresscode egal ist, der bleibt draußen. |
Free Relative Clauses at the End
You do not always have to put the "whoever" clause at the beginning of the sentence. If the main clause comes first, it acts just like a normal sentence, with the free relative clause tacked onto the end.
| The bouncer decides whom he lets in. | Der Türsteher entscheidet, wen er hereinlässt. |
