Relative Pronouns in English

A pronoun joining two sentences in a logical hierarchy is a relative pronoun.
 

English uses several different relative pronouns.
 

English omits the relative pronoun under certain conditions.
 

Relative Pronouns in German

German relative pronouns are never omitted. Relative clauses take subordinate word order, that is, the brackets are flipped. Set relative clauses off from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
 

Case, Number and Gender of Personal Pronouns

All pronouns refer to nouns. In order to refer to a specific noun, personal pronouns take the gender and the number of the noun to which they refer.
 

In order to function properly in their own sentences, personal pronouns take the case form required by the sentences in which they appear. In the examples above, er and sie are both nominative because they are subjects of their own sentences.

If a different case is required in the sentence, personal pronouns change case, but keep the gender and number of the noun they to which they refer.
 

Case, Number, Gender and Position of Relative Pronouns

The principles of case, number and gender are the same for relative pronouns and personal pronouns. Relative pronouns keep the number and gender of the noun to which they refer; relative pronouns take the case form required by the clause in which they appear.
 

The Wohnung is feminine singular, therefor the die after the comma must also be feminine singular. The relative pronoun after the comma is also the subject of erscheint and therefore it appears as die nominative, feminine singular

The relative pronoun stands at the beginning of the clause. If the relative pronoun is the object of the preposition, the preposition precedes it.
 

The Forms of the Relative Pronoun

The forms of the relative pronoun are identical to the forms of the definite article, with one minor exception. The dative plural of the definite article is den; the dative plural of the relative pronoun is denen.

NOMINATIVE
 

ACCUSATIVE
 

DATIVE
 

Examples of Relative Pronouns

• aber beschreiben Sie mir die Wohnung, die Ihnen ideal erscheint.
• Es gäbe noch ein nettes Reihenhaus in Bensheim, das Sie mit dem Zug in vierzig Minuten erreichen.
• Gibt es in der Nähe Wohnungen, die wir billig mieten könnten?
• Michael, das kann doch jedem passieren, der sich einen Nagel einfährt.