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Breakdown of Der Fluss, den ich sehe, ist breit.
sein
to be
ich
I
sehen
to see
breit
wide
der Fluss
the river
den
that
Questions & Answers about Der Fluss, den ich sehe, ist breit.
Why is der Fluss marked with der instead of another article?
Because Fluss is a masculine noun. In the singular nominative case (subject of the main clause), the definite article is der.
Why is den used in den ich sehe instead of der?
In the relative clause den ich sehe, den is the masculine singular accusative form of the relative pronoun. It refers back to Fluss as the direct object of sehe.
Why are there commas around den ich sehe?
German grammar requires that relative clauses be set off from the main clause by commas. Here, den ich sehe is a relative clause modifying Der Fluss.
Why does the verb sehe come at the end of the relative clause?
In German subordinate clauses—including relative clauses—the finite verb moves to the final position. Hence ich sehe becomes …den ich sehe.
What determines the word order in the main clause ist breit?
In main clauses, German follows the “verb-second” rule. Even though the relative clause occupies the first slot, the verb ist still appears immediately after the subject phrase, followed by the predicate adjective breit.
What English word does den correspond to in this sentence?
Here den corresponds to “that” or “which” in a restrictive relative clause, as in “The river that I see is wide.”
Can the commas around the relative clause be omitted?
No. In standard German punctuation, commas around relative clauses are mandatory and cannot be omitted.
If Fluss were a feminine noun (e.g. Straße), how would the relative pronoun change?
For a feminine noun, both nominative and accusative relative pronouns are die. Example: Die Straße, die ich sehe, ist breit.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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