Breakdown of Er ist ein Spezialist, dem alle vertrauen.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
er
he
alle
all, everyone
vertrauen
to trust
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Spezialist
the specialist
Questions & Answers about Er ist ein Spezialist, dem alle vertrauen.
Why is the relative pronoun dem used here instead of the accusative den?
The relative pronoun refers back to the masculine noun ein Spezialist. We use the dative pronoun dem because the verb in this clause, vertrauen (to trust), always requires a dative object. You can think of it as saying 'a specialist to whom everyone trusts'.
Why is the verb vertrauen at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase dem alle vertrauen is a relative clause, which adds more information about the specialist. In German, relative clauses always push the conjugated verb to the very end of the clause.
In English we say 'everyone trusts' with a singular verb. Why does German use the plural vertrauen?
While the English word 'everyone' is singular, the German word alle translates to 'all' or 'all people'. Because it is a plural subject, it requires the plural verb form vertrauen instead of the singular vertraut.
Is the comma before dem strictly necessary?
Yes! In German, you must always use a comma to separate the main clause (Er ist ein Spezialist) from a relative clause (dem alle vertrauen). You cannot drop the comma like you sometimes can in English.
Learn Er ist ein Spezialist, dem alle vertrauen and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free