Breakdown of Der Schauspieler, den wir gestern gesehen haben, spielt gut.
spielen
to play
gut
good / well
haben
to have
wir
we
sehen
to see
gestern
yesterday
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Schauspieler
the actor
Questions & Answers about Der Schauspieler, den wir gestern gesehen haben, spielt gut.
Why use den here instead of der?
den is a relative pronoun linking back to Der Schauspieler (masculine). In the relative clause (den wir gestern gesehen haben), the subject is wir (we) and the actor is the direct object (the person being seen). For masculine direct objects, we use the accusative case, which is den.
Why are the verbs gesehen haben at the end of the middle section?
The middle section is a relative clause, which adds extra information about the actor. In German, relative clauses always push the conjugated verb to the very end. Here, the conjugated helping verb is haben, so it goes at the very end, right after the past participle gesehen.
Why does the sentence continue with the verb spielt right after the second comma?
The main sentence is actually just Der Schauspieler spielt gut. The relative clause is simply tucked into the middle of it. When the relative clause finishes at the second comma, the main sentence picks up right where it left off, which happens to be the verb spielt.
Does spielen usually mean to act in a movie or play?
Yes! While you probably first learned spielen as to play a game or an instrument, it is also the normal verb used for an actor acting in a role. So here, spielt gut means acts well.
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