Breakdown of Was für eine Schauspielerin ist das, deren Biografie du kaufst?
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
kaufen
to buy
was für ein
what kind of
die Schauspielerin
the actress
deren
whose (f/pl)
die Biografie
the biography
Questions & Answers about Was für eine Schauspielerin ist das, deren Biografie du kaufst?
Why do we use deren here instead of dessen?
Does deren change its ending depending on its case inside the new clause?
No! The genitive relative pronouns dessen and deren are locked in based solely on the gender of the owner (here, the feminine actress). Even though the phrase deren Biografie acts as the accusative direct object in the second half of the sentence (because you are buying it), the word deren itself does not change.
Why is the verb kaufst at the very end of the sentence?
The comma introduces a relative clause (deren Biografie du kaufst), which is a type of subordinate clause. In German subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb is always pushed to the very end.
What is the difference between asking Was für eine and Welche here?
Was für ein (or here, the feminine Was für eine) asks about the type or qualities of something: 'What kind of actress is that?'. If you used Welche Schauspielerin, you would be asking 'Which (specific) actress?' out of a limited group of choices.
Learn Was für eine Schauspielerin ist das, deren Biografie du kaufst 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