My cousin ethan, who whom that which when where whose why. Relative pronouns and relative clauses a foundation. German grammar in english for international students version 2. The 7 habits of highly effective people summary duration. German relative clauses perform the same function as in english, but there are differences in form. As in english, the interrogative pronouns can also sometimes be used as relative pronouns. See if you can add the correct relative pronouns into these sentences.
Relative clauses supply additional information about the nouns in a sentence. German relative pronouns are the words which join two clauses together. German pronouns describe a set of german words with specific functions. The function of relative pronouns in english is usually served by that, who or which. An indefinite pronoun is one of a small group of pronouns such as everything, nobody and something which are used to refer to people or things in a general way without saying exactly who or what they are. Johannes is the friend that i am going to travel with.
Werden, relative clauses a foundation course in reading. In german these relative pronouns are fully declined, and the relative clause is usually set off with commas. Like adjectives, pronouns change their form according to gender, case and quantity. Lots of people walk in the park where i jog every morning. Defining relative pronouns include who or that for people and that or which for objects. Relative pronouns, relativpronomen, are words that refer to nouns that have been previously mentioned. The teacher will call out a particular square and ask the question or read the information in the square.
All of the relative pronouns will mean either that, who, whom, whose, or which. The use of relative pronouns is important in any language. Once youre ready, take the quiz again to see if you have understood. Now you know that in german there are a set of verbs called reflexive verbs and these must be used with reflexive pronouns. Relative pronouns english grammar today cambridge dictionary. The preposition stands before the relative pronoun in the relative clause. Nondefining relative pronouns only include who for people and which for objects. Relative pronouns will always match the gender and number of the subject of the first sentence and fit.
The sentence is thereby made shorter, and repetitions of the nouns are avoided. The relative pronouns antecedent determines gender and number, while the pronouns function within the dependent clause determines the case see the examples below. Unit 4 pronouns in the dative case 22 unit 5 pronouns in prepositional phrases 29 unit 6 direct and indirect object pronouns in the same sentence 35 unit 7 possessive pronouns 41 unit 8 einerkeiner and interrogatives used as pronouns 48 unit 9 determiners used as pronouns 56 unit 10 the pronoun man 66 unit 11 relative pronouns 68 unit 12. Relative pronouns who, where which whose interactive. Relative pronoun genitive relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative clauses doubleclick on words you dont understand. Choose from 500 different sets of german relative pronouns flashcards on quizlet. Please let me know if you have any problems with the format or use of the tests. The exercises below will help you learn and practice the different forms as well as types of pronouns used. Below are links to some basic checkyourself tests for relative pronouns. Relative clauses provide additional information about a noun without starting a new sentence. Interrogative pronouns german for english speakers.
Indefinite pronouns learning german grammar collins education. Personal pronouns are ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr and sie and are the equivalent of the english, i, you, he, she, it, we, you and they. The relative pronouns reflect gender, number, and case. Like any pronoun, relative pronouns are substituted for nouns and other pronouns that functions as subjects or objects in a sentence. Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses. Relative pronouns are mostly used when combining sentences in which a word or phrase is repeated. There is no genitive form of welch as a relative pronoun. When relative pronouns introduce restrictive relative clauses, no comma is used to separate the restrictive clause from the main clause. The interrogative pronouns are equivalent to the english question words, who, whom, what and which wer, wen, wem, wessen, was, welcher. Explanation of german relative clauses and relative pronouns. The indirect object pronouns iop are used to replace nouns people or things in a sentence to which the action of the verb occurs. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf. The gym, which was very crowded today, is closed tomorrow.
Learn about relative pronouns in german grammar and practise using them in the nominative, accusative, dative and genitive with lingolias online lesson and exercises. Relative clauses are typically introduced by relative pronouns, and that the relative pronoun can function as a possessive pronoun, an object, or a subject. The following table shows the relative pronoun based on the word the. Fill in the correct relative pronoun derdie dasden nominative and accusative hint.
Apr 01, 2015 the presentation will first introduce the concept of relative pronouns and clauses in english before moving over to a discussion of this grammar topic in german. The presentation will first introduce the concept of relative pronouns and clauses in english before moving over to a discussion of this grammar topic in german. These dont really translate to english all that precisely, particularly since in german they are declined depending on the grammatical case, but the most common relative pronouns in english are who, which and that. The pronoun sie always begins with a capital letter and is a polite form for strangers and adults in formal situations. Relative pronoun genitive relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative pronouns relative clauses. Learn about the construction and word order of german relative clauses online with lingolia. Relative pronouns german for english speakersgerman for. They are introduced by relative pronouns relativpronomen. Relative pronouns in german the basics relative pronouns in german nitty gritty and just so you know if youre looking for a normal exercise where you just fill in a few gaps in short sentences, then youve come to the wrong place. German relative pronouns learn german with languageeasy. Contrastive study on relative words and relative clauses.
So, this last example sentence illustrates the accusative forms of german relative pronouns. In case you want to add on an extra clause to a sentence, you will be joining it up with a german relative pronoun. In german grammar, relative clauses are commonly defined as subordinate clauses including the finite verb in final position. You simply type or choose the correct word pronoun, and the test will tell you whether its correct or not. German relative pronouns are actually quite coherent, straight forward and in a way simple. As with other pronouns, they are frequently employed as the subject or object of a clause, acting as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases, but are also used in relative clauses to relate the main clause to a subordinate one. In german, relative clauses that modify a nominal element are typically intro duced by a socalled dpronoun that inflects for case assigned in the relative. Pdf exercises, handouts to print, printable resources. Pronouns are an essential element of german grammar which cannot be ignored or rushed.
The only exception is in the dative plural, which takes the form denen. Well, i think that there is not too much explanation needed anymore. Unlike the standard relative pronouns in the previous subsection, they are not declined. The table provides an overview of masculine, feminine, neuter and plural relative. Indefinite pronouns learning german grammar collins. Like a computer would have no problems with german relative pronouns while english relative pronouns can be quite a challenge. German pronouns are also split into categories as they are in english, for examples into personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns and reflexive pronouns. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. Webbased quizzes on german relative pronouns and relative clauses. Finally, we have come to the end of this article about german relative pronouns. Defining relative clauses these describe the preceding noun in such a way as to distinguish it from other nouns of the same class. Then put your knowledge to the test in the free exercises.
There is a girl in my class whose family emigrated from india. Or click here for the transcript in a word document of the podcast on relative pronouns other than the one based on the word the. Relative clause exercise 3 4 intermediate pdf exercises. These are interrogative pro these are interrogative pro nouns and ask the question who or what. The table provides an overview of masculine, feminine, neuter and plural relative pronouns in all four german cases.
Simply put, a pronoun is a small word which can be used instead of a noun. By the way, the clause which is added to the sentence by a german relative pronoun is called relative. Learn german relative pronouns with free interactive flashcards. Relative pronouns relative pronouns introduce relative clauses. I bought my first car ten years ago, when i was a salesman. Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to the subject. Test your understanding of german relative pronouns by using this interactive. This free german grammar lesson will focus on german pronouns and will provide easytofollow examples throughout. In order to best help you accomplish your goal of speaking german fluently ive teamed up with the rocket german. The biggest difference between german personal pronouns and english personal pronouns is that you have to distinguish among three ways to say you. The pronoun sie is found in both the singular and the plural, its meaning is indicated by the finite verb and the context. German has two additional nominative case pronouns. Worksheets pdf exercises reflexive and reciprocal pronouns. The relative pronoun gender is defined by the gender of the noun that it complements.
German grammar in english for international students. But they change according to the case in which theyre used. A clause of this kind is essential to the clear understanding of the. A clause of this kind is essential to the clear understanding of the noun.
Indefinite pronouns easy learning grammar german what is an indefinite pronoun. An indefinite pronoun is one of a small group of pronouns such as everything, nobody and something which are used to refer to people or things in a general way without saying exactly who or what they are in german, the indefinite pronouns jemand meaning someone, somebody and niemand meaning noone, nobody are often used in speech without any endings. The formation of relativsatze explained in english, relative pronouns deren and dessen. Some sections have hints or explanations when you choose a wrong answer. Lets start off by looking at the personal pronouns. Well, for that you need to have mastered relative pronouns download.
Which in german is welch and is fully declined according to gender and case see section ii. Personal pronouns i, you, possessive pronouns my, your, declension of pronouns. One interesting fact about german is that the formal way of writing you is sie and it is always capitalized. In german, there are two forms of relative pronouns. Other personal pronouns, like ich and mich i and me or wir and uns we and us, bear a closer resemblance to english. The relative pronoun s antecedent determines gender and number, while the pronoun s function within the dependent clause determines the case see the examples below. The nominative personal pronouns are one of the first things to learn in german as they are the basics to form our first sentences.
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