Breakdown of Der Zeuge beschreibt den Täter, der eine schwarze Tasche trägt.
ein
a, an (eine)
die Tasche
the bag
tragen
to carry, to wear
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Zeuge
the witness
beschreiben
to describe
der Täter
the perpetrator, the culprit
schwarz
black
Questions & Answers about Der Zeuge beschreibt den Täter, der eine schwarze Tasche trägt.
Why is the relative pronoun der instead of den, since it refers to den Täter?
The relative pronoun gets its gender (masculine) and number (singular) from the noun it refers back to (Täter). However, its case depends on its job in its own clause. Here, the perpetrator is the one doing the carrying, making the relative pronoun the subject of the relative clause. Therefore, it takes the nominative case (der).
Why is the verb trägt at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase der eine schwarze Tasche trägt is a relative clause. In German, relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause, which means they always push the conjugated verb to the very end of the clause.
Is the comma before der required?
Yes. Unlike in English, where you often do not use a comma before 'who' or 'that', German strictly requires a comma to separate the main clause from a relative clause.
Why does the adjective have an -e ending in eine schwarze Tasche?
This is a quick refresher on adjective endings: Tasche is a feminine noun, and it is the direct object (accusative case) being carried. After the indefinite article eine in the feminine accusative, the adjective takes the ending -e.
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