Breakdown of Die Vorfahren, die wir im Stammbaum sehen, kommen aus Spanien.
kommen
to come
aus
from / out of (made of)
wir
we
sehen
to see
Spanien
Spain
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Stammbaum
the family tree
der Vorfahr
the ancestor
Questions & Answers about Die Vorfahren, die wir im Stammbaum sehen, kommen aus Spanien.
Why is the second "die" in the accusative case?
The second die is a relative pronoun (meaning "that" or "who") referring to the plural noun Die Vorfahren. It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the relative clause: wir (we) is the subject doing the action, and die represents the ancestors being seen.
Why is the verb "sehen" right before the second comma?
The phrase die wir im Stammbaum sehen is a relative clause, which adds extra information about the ancestors. In German, relative clauses always send their conjugated verb (here, sehen) to the very end of the clause.
Why does the sentence use "im Stammbaum" instead of just "in Stammbaum"?
The word im is a contraction of in dem. We use the dative article dem because we are describing a static location (where we see them) rather than movement to a new place. Since Stammbaum is a masculine noun (der Stammbaum), in + dem merges into im.
How can I tell that "Die Vorfahren" is plural in this sentence?
You can spot the plural because the main verb is kommen (they come) instead of kommt (he/she/it comes). The singular form is der Vorfahre (the ancestor), while the plural adds an -n to become die Vorfahren.
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