Breakdown of Wir empfehlen den Service, der fantastisch ist.
sein
to be
wir
we
empfehlen
to recommend
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Service
the service
fantastisch
fantastic
Questions & Answers about Wir empfehlen den Service, der fantastisch ist.
Why does the sentence use der after the comma when it just used den for Service?
This is a classic relative clause rule! The relative pronoun (der) gets its gender from the noun it refers to (masculine Service). However, while Service is in the accusative case in the main clause because it is the object being recommended, it acts as the subject of the second clause (it is the thing that 'is fantastic'). Therefore, the pronoun switches to the nominative case der.
Why is the verb ist at the very end of the sentence?
The part after the comma (der fantastisch ist) is a relative clause. Relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause, which means the conjugated verb (here, ist) is always pushed to the very end of that clause.
Is the English word Service treated as a normal German noun here?
Yes! Even though it is a loanword, it is assigned a German gender (der Service, making it masculine) and is capitalized just like all other German nouns. It also takes standard German adjective endings and articles.
How could I apply this lesson's grammar (nicht nur ... sondern auch) to expand this sentence?
If you wanted to say you recommend not only the service but also the food, you would say: Wir empfehlen nicht nur den Service, sondern auch das Essen, das fantastisch ist. The two-part conjunction frames the two things you are adding together, and both remain in the accusative case because they are both objects of the verb empfehlen (to recommend).
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