Breakdown of Wer Stammgast ist, den lasse ich herein.
ich
I
sein
to be
wer
who
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Stammgast
the regular guest
hereinlassen
to let in
Questions & Answers about Wer Stammgast ist, den lasse ich herein.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with den instead of der?
The first part uses the nominative wer because the person is the subject (the one who is a regular). But in the second part, you are letting that person in. This makes them the direct object of the verb hereinlassen. Therefore, the pointer word must be in the accusative case: den.
Why do we need the word den here at all? English just says 'Whoever... I let in'.
English skips it, but German often requires a pointer word (a demonstrative pronoun) when a wer clause comes first. It is mandatory here because the case changes: the person is the subject in the first half (wer) but the object in the second half (den). The den bridges the two halves and clarifies the grammatical role.
Why is there no ein before Stammgast?
In German, you usually drop the article for professions, nationalities, and roles when using the verb sein (to be). Being a Stammgast (regular customer or guest) is treated as a status or role here, just like saying Ich bin Lehrer (I am a teacher).
How does the verb hereinlassen work in this sentence?
hereinlassen (to let in) is a separable verb. In the main clause, the conjugated part lasse takes the second position, right after the pointer word den. The separable prefix herein is kicked to the very end of the sentence.
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