Breakdown of Das ist die Karosserie, für die der Sammler viel Geld bezahlt hat.
sein
to be
haben
to have
das Geld
the money
viel
much / a lot
bezahlen
to pay
für
for
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Sammler
the collector
die Karosserie
the bodywork
Questions & Answers about Das ist die Karosserie, für die der Sammler viel Geld bezahlt hat.
Why do we use für die here instead of a "wo-" compound like wofür?
When referring back to a specific physical noun like die Karosserie, German uses a preposition plus a regular relative pronoun. We generally reserve wo- compounds like wofür for abstract concepts, indefinite pronouns like alles, or when referring back to a whole clause.
How do we know to use the accusative die in für die?
A relative pronoun always takes the gender of the noun it refers to (feminine for die Karosserie). However, its case is determined strictly by its role in its own clause. Since the preposition für always requires the accusative case, we must use the feminine accusative pronoun die.
Is there an easy way to remember the gender of Karosserie?
Yes! Nouns ending in -ie are almost always loanwords from French or Latin, and they are overwhelmingly feminine in German. This gives us die Karosserie.
Could I say für welche instead of für die?
Yes, für welche is grammatically correct and means exactly the same thing. However, using welche as a relative pronoun sounds quite formal and bureaucratic. In everyday spoken and written German, sticking to the der/die/das relative pronouns is much more natural.
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