Word
Die Handlung, die der Autor beschreibt, ist spannend.
Meaning
The plot that the author describes is exciting.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Die Handlung, die der Autor beschreibt, ist spannend.
sein
to be
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
beschreiben
to describe
spannend
exciting, thrilling
Questions & Answers about Die Handlung, die der Autor beschreibt, ist spannend.
Why is the relative pronoun die used here?
It refers back to die Handlung (the plot), which is a feminine noun. In the relative clause, it acts as the direct object (the thing being described by the author), so it must be in the accusative case. For feminine nouns, the accusative relative pronoun is exactly the same as the nominative: die.
Why does the verb beschreibt come right before the second comma?
The phrase die der Autor beschreibt is a relative clause. Relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause in German, which means they push their conjugated verb all the way to the end of that clause.
Why does the verb ist come immediately after the comma?
The relative clause interrupts the main sentence. If you temporarily remove the part between the commas, the main sentence is simply Die Handlung ist spannend (The plot is exciting). The commas act like brackets, and once the relative clause is finished, the main sentence picks up exactly where it paused.
Since die can be a subject or an object, how do we know who is describing what?
You can tell by looking at the other noun in the clause: der Autor. Because it uses the masculine nominative article der, it must be the subject doing the describing. Therefore, die must be the accusative direct object receiving the action.