Die Katze greift vorsichtig nach dem Ball, den die Nachbarin wirft.

the; (masculine or neuter, dative)

Breakdown of Die Katze greift vorsichtig nach dem Ball, den die Nachbarin wirft.

• die Katze: the cat
• den: that
• vorsichtig: carefully

Questions & Answers about Die Katze greift vorsichtig nach dem Ball, den die Nachbarin wirft.

Why is it nach dem Ball and not den Ball?

Because the preposition nach always takes the dative case. The verb phrase is nach etwas greifen (“to reach for something”), so you get nach dem Ball (dative masculine). Using accusative (den Ball) would suggest a direct object, which you don’t have with nach. If the cat actually grabs the ball, you’d typically use verbs like packen, fassen, or (er)greifen instead of plain greifen.

Why is the relative pronoun den and not dem?

Relative pronouns agree with their antecedent in gender and number, but their case is set by their role inside the relative clause. The antecedent is masculine singular (Ball), but inside the clause it’s the direct object of wirft, so you need the accusative: den. You can test it by making the clause a standalone sentence: Die Nachbarin wirft den Ball.

Why is wirft at the end of the relative clause?

In German subordinate clauses (including relative clauses), the finite verb goes to the end: ... den [Relativpronomen] die Nachbarin [Subjekt] wirft [Verb]. In the main clause, German is verb-second: Die Katze [1] greift [2] vorsichtig nach dem Ball [3…].

Do we need the comma before den?

Yes. German requires a comma before a relative clause: ..., den die Nachbarin wirft. Unlike English, both restrictive and non‑restrictive relative clauses are set off with a comma.