Learn Hardcore German: Der Mann, der im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig.

The first Der is the definite article: Der Mann = the man.
The second der is a relative pronoun: der im Garten sitzt = who is sitting in the garden.

So the structure is literally:

Der Mann – the man
der im Garten sitzt – who is sitting in the garden
ist ruhig – is calm/quiet

In English we change word and word type (the → who); in German the form der can be both an article and a relative pronoun, depending on its position and function in the sentence.

What kind of clause is der im Garten sitzt, and what does it do?

der im Garten sitzt is a relative clause.

It starts with a relative pronoun (der) that refers back to Der Mann.
It gives extra information about the noun it follows (here: Mann).

Functionally, the sentence means:

Der Mann … ist ruhig. – The man is calm.
der im Garten sitzt – (the one) who is sitting in the garden.

So the whole thing is: The man who is sitting in the garden is calm.

Why are there commas around der im Garten sitzt?

In German, every relative clause is separated by commas from the main clause, regardless of whether it’s “essential” or “extra” information.

So:

Main clause frame: Der Mann … ist ruhig.
Relative clause in the middle: der im Garten sitzt

Written German marks this with commas:

Der Mann, der im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig.

Unlike English, German always uses commas to set off relative clauses, even when they are “defining” which person/thing you mean.

Why is the verb sitzt at the end of der im Garten sitzt?

Because der im Garten sitzt is a subordinate clause (here: a relative clause).

In German:

In a main clause, the conjugated verb is in second position:
- Der Mann ist ruhig. – ist is in position 2.
In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause:
- …, der im Garten sitzt. – sitzt is at the end.

So the word order im Garten sitzt (not sitzt im Garten) is required by the rule “verb-final in subordinate clauses.”

What case is the der in der im Garten sitzt, and why?

That der is nominative singular masculine.

Reason: inside the relative clause der im Garten sitzt, the verb is sitzt (“sits / is sitting”) and the subject of this verb is der (the man):

Wer sitzt im Garten? – Der (Mann).
→ Subject → nominative case.

So:

Der Mann, der im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig.
- der = nominative (subject of sitzt).

Could we say den or dem instead of der in der im Garten sitzt?

Not in this sentence, because here the relative pronoun is the subject of sitzt, so it must be nominative: der.

However, you can see den or dem in other relative clauses, when the relative pronoun has a different function:

Accusative (direct object):
- Der Mann, den ich im Garten sehe, ist ruhig.
  (“The man whom I see in the garden is calm.”)
  → wen sehe ich? – den → accusative.
Dative (indirect object / after dative preposition):
- Der Mann, dem ich im Garten helfe, ist freundlich.
  (“The man whom I’m helping in the garden is friendly.”)
  → wem helfe ich? – dem → dative.

So the form (der/den/dem) depends on the grammatical role inside the relative clause, not on the role in the main clause.

What exactly does im in im Garten mean?

im is a contraction of in dem:

in = in
dem = the (dative, masculine or neuter singular)
in + dem → im

So:

in dem Garten → im Garten = “in the garden”.

This contraction is extremely common and is almost always used in normal speech and writing.

Why is it im Garten (dative) and not in den Garten (accusative)?

The preposition in can take dative or accusative, depending on meaning:

Dative = location (wo? where?)
- Der Mann sitzt im Garten.
  (“The man is sitting in the garden.” → where? → dative: im = in dem.)
Accusative = movement/direction (wohin? where to?)
- Der Mann geht in den Garten.
  (“The man goes into the garden.” → where to? → accusative: in den.)

In Der Mann, der im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig, the man is located in the garden, not moving into it, so dative (im Garten) is correct.

Why is it ist ruhig and not something like ist ruhige?

Because ruhig here is a predicate adjective (after the verb sein).

German distinguishes:

Attributive adjective (directly before a noun) → needs an ending:
- Ein ruhiger Mann – a calm man
- Der ruhige Mann – the calm man
Predicate adjective (after sein, werden, bleiben, etc.) → no ending:
- Der Mann ist ruhig. – The man is calm.
- Die Männer sind ruhig. – The men are calm.
  (No extra -e / -er / -en etc.)

In this sentence ruhig describes the state of the subject via ist, so it’s predicate position and appears in its base form, without endings.

What does ruhig mean exactly, and how is it different from leise or still?

ruhig is a bit broader in meaning:

ruhig
- calm, quiet, not excited, peaceful.
- Can describe people, animals, places, situations:
  - Der Mann ist ruhig. – The man is calm.
  - Die Straße ist ruhig. – The street is quiet (not much going on).
leise
- low in volume, not loud.
- Mostly about sounds/voices:
  - Sprich leiser. – Speak more quietly/softer.
  - Musik leise stellen. – Turn the music down.
still
- silent, very quiet; also “still, motionless”.
- Often a stronger, more absolute quiet or stillness:
  - Sei still! – Be silent!
  - Das Wasser ist still. – The water is still (not moving).

In Der Mann, der im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig, ruhig mainly means the man is calm/peaceful, possibly also not making much noise.

Can German present tense sitzt really mean “is sitting” (progressive) in English?

Yes. German normally doesn’t use a separate progressive form like English.

English:
- The man is sitting in the garden.
German:
- Der Mann sitzt im Garten.

The simple present sitzt can mean:

a current ongoing action: “is sitting”
or a general fact/habit: “sits”

Context usually makes it clear. In der im Garten sitzt, the natural reading is “who is sitting in the garden right now.”

Could I also say Der Mann, welcher im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig?

Grammatically, yes, but stylistically it’s different:

welcher/welche/welches as a relative pronoun sounds:
- more formal, bookish, or sometimes old-fashioned in modern German, especially in everyday speech.
In normal contemporary usage, especially in spoken language, people strongly prefer der/die/das as relative pronouns.

So:

Natural: Der Mann, der im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig.
Formal/literary: Der Mann, welcher im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig.

Both are correct, but the der-version is much more common.

What is the overall structure of the sentence Der Mann, der im Garten sitzt, ist ruhig?

You can see it as:

Main clause frame:
- Der Mann … ist ruhig. – The man is calm.
Relative clause inserted after the noun:
- der im Garten sitzt – who is sitting in the garden.

So structurally:

Der Mann (subject, with article)
, der im Garten sitzt, (relative clause describing Mann)
ist ruhig. (verb + predicate adjective of main clause)

Meaning: The man who is sitting in the garden is calm.