Breakdown of Er kennt das Gebet, dem sich der Mönch täglich widmet.
er
he
kennen
to know (somebody/something)
täglich
daily
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Mönch
the monk
sich widmen
to dedicate oneself
das Gebet
the prayer
Questions & Answers about Er kennt das Gebet, dem sich der Mönch täglich widmet.
This lesson is about using pflegen zu for habitual actions. How would we rewrite this sentence to use that structure?
You would replace the regular verb widmet with the conjugated form of pflegen and move sich widmen to the end as a zu infinitive. The relative clause would become: ...dem sich der Mönch täglich zu widmen pflegt. This makes the daily habit sound even more formal and elevated.
Why does the relative clause start with the dative pronoun dem instead of das?
The relative pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun it refers to (das Gebet, which is neuter singular), but its case comes from its grammatical role inside the relative clause itself. The verb sich widmen (to dedicate oneself to) always requires a dative object. Therefore, the neuter relative pronoun must take the dative form, which is dem.
Why does the reflexive pronoun sich come before the subject der Mönch in the relative clause?
In a subordinate clause, if the subject is a full noun (like der Mönch) rather than a personal pronoun (like er), it is very common for a short pronoun like sich to slide right behind the relative pronoun, pushing the subject slightly back. You could technically say ...dem der Mönch sich täglich widmet, but putting sich first flows much more naturally in written German.
Could we use weiß (from wissen) instead of kennt for the word knows here?
No, you must use kennen here because the subject is familiar with a specific noun or entity (das Gebet). The verb wissen is used for knowing facts, usually followed by a subordinate clause (like a dass clause) or a question word, not for being acquainted with a direct object.
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