Ich helfe keinem Handwerker, dem ich nicht vertraue.
I do not help any tradesman whom I do not trust.
Breakdown of Ich helfe keinem Handwerker, dem ich nicht vertraue.
ich
I
kein
no, not any
nicht
not
helfen
to help
vertrauen
to trust
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Handwerker
the craftsman, tradesman
Questions & Answers about Ich helfe keinem Handwerker, dem ich nicht vertraue.
Why do we use dem here as the relative pronoun?
A relative pronoun's gender is based on the noun it points back to, but its case is based on its role in the relative clause. Here, dem points back to Handwerker, which is masculine. In the relative clause, it is the object of the verb vertrauen (to trust). Because vertrauen is a dative verb, the relative pronoun must be the dative masculine form, which is dem.
Why is the first part of the sentence keinem Handwerker instead of keinen Handwerker?
The verb helfen (to help) always takes a dative object. Handwerker is a masculine noun, so in the dative case, the negative article kein changes to keinem.
Why does the verb vertraue go at the very end of the sentence?
The second half of this sentence is a relative clause (starting with the relative pronoun dem). Relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause, and in German, subordinate clauses always push the conjugated verb (vertraue) to the very end of the clause.
Could I just use den instead of dem to say 'whom'?
No, because the choice between den (accusative) and dem (dative) depends strictly on the verb inside the relative clause. If the verb were sehen (to see), which takes the accusative, you would use den (den ich nicht sehe). But since vertrauen requires the dative case, you must use dem.
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