Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat.

The conductor helps a passenger who has lost his ticket.

Breakdown of Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat.

• sein: his
• helfen: to help
• das Ticket: the ticket
• der: who
• verlieren: to lose
• der Schaffner: the conductor
• der Fahrgast: the passenger

Questions & Answers about Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat.

Why is it einem Fahrgast and not einen Fahrgast?

Because helfen (to help) in German always takes the dative case, not the accusative.

• einen Fahrgast = accusative masculine singular
• einem Fahrgast = dative masculine singular

In this sentence, einem Fahrgast is the indirect object of hilft, and helfen demands dative:

• jemandem helfen = to help someone (dative!)
  
  • Ich helfe dem Mann. – I help the man.
  • Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast. – The conductor helps a passenger.

So einem is the dative form of ein for a masculine noun (Fahrgast).

Why does helfen take the dative instead of the accusative?

In German, some verbs are simply defined as taking a specific case for their objects. Helfen belongs to a small group of common verbs that always take the dative:

• helfen – jemandem helfen (to help someone)
• danken – jemandem danken (to thank someone)
• gefallen – jemandem gefallen (to please someone)
• gehören – jemandem gehören (to belong to someone)

So you say:

• Ich helfe dir. – I help you.
• Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast. – The conductor helps a passenger.

Using the accusative (einen Fahrgast helfen) would be grammatically wrong in standard German.

Why is the relative pronoun der and not den or dem?

The relative pronoun der refers back to einem Fahrgast and must match it in gender and number, but its case depends on its role in the relative clause.

1. Gender & number:

   • Fahrgast is masculine singular.
   • So the relative pronoun must also be masculine singular: der / den / dem are all possible masculine singular forms.

2. Case in the relative clause …der sein Ticket verloren hat:

   • Ask: What is the subject of hat verloren?
   • Der (Fahrgast) has lost the ticket → the relative pronoun is the subject.
   • The subject is in the nominative case → nominative masculine singular is der.

So:

• der = nominative (subject in the clause)
• den = accusative
• dem = dative

Here we need nominative → der is correct.

Why is there a comma before der?

The comma separates the main clause from the relative clause:

• Main clause: Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast
• Relative clause: der sein Ticket verloren hat

In German, introducing a relative clause is always marked with a comma. This is not optional:

• Richtig: Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat.
• Falsch: Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast der sein Ticket verloren hat.

So the comma signals: “Now comes extra information about the Fahrgast.”

What exactly is the function of the relative clause der sein Ticket verloren hat?

The relative clause der sein Ticket verloren hat gives additional information about einem Fahrgast. It explains which passenger is being helped:

• einem Fahrgast – a passenger
• der sein Ticket verloren hat – who has lost his ticket

So together:

• einem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat
  = a passenger who has lost his ticket

Grammatically:

• The relative pronoun der refers back to einem Fahrgast.
• Inside the relative clause, der is the subject of hat verloren.

Why do we use hat verloren instead of just verlor?

Hat verloren is the present perfect tense (Perfekt), while verlor is the simple past (Präteritum).

• er hat sein Ticket verloren – he has lost his ticket (present perfect)
• er verlor sein Ticket – he lost his ticket (simple past)

In spoken German, the Perfekt (hat verloren) is used much more often than the simple past for most verbs, especially in everyday conversation. The sentence feels natural and conversational:

• Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat.

Using verlor would sound more written/literary or old-fashioned in many contexts:

• …der sein Ticket verlor. – grammatically correct, but more formal/rare in speech.

Why is the word order in the relative clause …der sein Ticket verloren hat and not …der sein Ticket hat verloren?

In a subordinate clause (including relative clauses), all conjugated verbs go to the end, and non-conjugated parts (like participles) come before the conjugated auxiliary.

• Verb parts:
  
  • hat (conjugated auxiliary)
  • verloren (past participle)

Correct order in a subordinate clause:

• …der sein Ticket verloren hat.

Wrong in standard German:

• …der sein Ticket hat verloren.

General rule for Perfekt in subordinate clauses:

• …, weil er sein Ticket verloren hat.
• …, dass er sein Ticket verloren hat.
• …, der sein Ticket verloren hat.

Why is it sein Ticket and not seine Ticket?

The form of the possessive sein changes depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun it describes, not the owner.

• Ticket is a neuter noun: das Ticket.
• Here it is accusative singular (direct object of hat verloren).

The declension for sein- (like ein-) with neuter accusative singular is sein (no extra -e):

• das Ticket → sein Ticket
• die Fahrkarte (feminine) → seine Fahrkarte
• das Buch → sein Buch
• die Zeitung → seine Zeitung

So with neuter Ticket, the correct form is sein Ticket, not seine Ticket.

How do we know that sein here means “his” and not “its” or “her”?

Sein can mean his or its, depending on context. It agrees grammatically with the owner, not the object owned.

Here the owner is the Fahrgast, which is grammatically masculine:

• der Fahrgast → possessive: sein (his/its)

So sein Ticket = “his ticket” (referring to the passenger).

If the person referred to were grammatically feminine, you would use ihr:

• die Fahrgästin – the (female) passenger
• ihr Ticket – her ticket

In this specific sentence, the default reading is “his ticket”, because Fahrgast is masculine and no feminine person has been introduced.

What gender is Fahrgast and Ticket, and how can I tell?

• Fahrgast is masculine: der Fahrgast

  • Dative singular: einem Fahrgast
  • Plural: die Fahrgäste, dative plural: den Fahrgästen

• Ticket is neuter: das Ticket

  • Accusative singular: das Ticket → with possessive: sein Ticket

How to tell:

• Fahrgast ends in -gast and refers to a person; many such nouns are masculine (like Gast itself).
• Ticket is an English loanword; many modern loanwords default to neuter (das Ticket, das Team, das Hotel), but you often just have to learn them individually.

Could we also say Der Schaffner hilft dem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat? What would be the difference?

Yes, that is grammatically correct. The difference is mainly in definiteness:

• einem Fahrgast – a passenger (non-specific, one of several possible passengers)
• dem Fahrgast – the passenger (a specific one, known to the speaker/listener)

So:

• Der Schaffner hilft einem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat.
  – The conductor is helping a passenger who has lost his ticket (we don’t know which one, or it doesn’t matter which).

• Der Schaffner hilft dem Fahrgast, der sein Ticket verloren hat.
  – The conductor is helping the passenger who has lost his ticket (a specific one we’ve already identified or can clearly see).

Is Schaffner only used on trains, and are there other words for this job?

Schaffner traditionally refers to a conductor, especially on trains or trams, whose job is to check tickets. Some points:

• der Schaffner – male conductor
• die Schaffnerin – female conductor
• Plural: die Schaffner / die Schaffnerinnen

Nowadays, especially in German railways, you’ll also hear:

• der Zugbegleiter / die Zugbegleiterin – train attendant
• der Kontrolleur / die Kontrolleurin – ticket inspector (more general)

In everyday speech, Schaffner is still widely understood and used, especially for the person checking tickets on a train or tram.