5. Other Determiners and pronouns Flashcards
INTRODUCTION
- Determiners are a limited set of small words used with nouns to relate them to a particular context or situation:
Articles (der, die, das) ; Demonstratives (dieser, jener, etc.), Possessives (mein, sein), Interrogatives (welcher) and indefinites (einige, etliche).
- Pronouns are a limited set of small words which stand in place of nouns or noun phrases.
Personal pronouns (ich), Demonstratives pronouns, possessive pronouns, interrogative pronouns, the relative pronouns (the who, and which words) and indefinite pronouns.
5.
- DEMONSTRATIVES (1)
- 1.1. DER “THAT”
“Der” (that, this) can be used to point in a general way to something distant or something near at hand.
a. “der”, when used as a determiner, has exactly the same written forms as the definite article.
- Ich möchte ein Stück von der Wurst (I’d like a piece of this/that sausage)
In many cases it would be difficult to tell the demonstrative der apart from the definite article in writing (“dieser” or “derjenige” is preferred).
In colloquial speech the demonstrative force of “der” can be strengthened by adding “da” or “hier” after the noun.
- Der Mann hier (= this man)
- Der Mann da (= that man)
b. The declension of demonstrative “der” used as a pronoun
M- der, den, dessen, dem.
F- die, die, deren, der.
N- das, das, dessen, dem.
Pl- die, die, deren/derer, denen.
c. The use of “der” as a pronoun : “the one”, “this/that one”
- Mein Wagen und der meines Bruders.
- Die Seife ist besser als die, die ich gebrauche.
- Wir können dem nicht so viel Bedeutung beimessen. (= we can’t attach so much importance to that)
- Die sind mir zu teuer.
- Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. Ja, auf dem da drüben.
d. Pronominal “der” is often used instead of a third person pronoun:
- Ist der Teller kaputt? Ja, den hat Astrid fallen lassen.
- Keine Möwen. Die waren weiter draußen.
e. “der” can be strengthened by the addition of “da” or “hier”:
- das da (= that one)
- das hier (= this one)
f. The genitive of the pronoun “der” can be used for a possessive pronoun to avoid ambiguity.
- Sie war die Tochter des Schriftstellers Thomas Mann und dessen viertes Kind (= she was the daughter of the writer Thomas Mann and his fourth child)
- Dennoch wurden sie alle geprägt von ihrer Stadt un deren geistiger Tradition (= nevertheless they were all moulded by their city and its intellectual tradition).
g. In the genitive plural, “derer” can be used rather than “deren” to refer forwards (it is most frequent with a following relative clause):
- die Zahl derer, die seit 1950 die Westzone verlassen haben (= the number of those who have left the Western zone since 1950)
h. The pronoun “das” is used as an emphatic form of “es”.
Like “es”, it can be used with either singular or plural forms of the verb “sein”.
- Das sind meine Bücher.
- Das ist mein Arm, meine Hand, mein Knie.
i. A form of the prepositional adverb is normally used rather than a preposition followed by the demonstrative pronoun. (damit = with that; darin = in that)
- Damit kann man die Büchse (= a can) doch nicht aufmachen, oder?
To refer to something near or something just mentioned, a preposition adverb with “hier-“ can be used (hiermit = with this; hierin = in this)
- Hierüber lässt sich nichts mehr sagen (= There is nothing more to be said about this)
However, a preposition followed by the demonstrative pronoun is used with a following relative clause in written German:
- Ich richtete meine ganze Aufmerksamkeit auf das (NOT darauf), war er erklärte (= I focused my attention on what he was saying).
- 1.1.
a. “der”, when used as a determiner, has exactly the same written forms as the definite article.
b. The declension of demonstrative “der” used as a pronoun
c. The use of “der” as a pronoun : “the one”, “this/that one”
d. Pronominal “der” is often used instead of a third person pronoun:
e. “der” can be strengthened by the addition of “da” or “hier”:
f. The genitive of the pronoun “der” can be used for a possessive pronoun to avoid ambiguity.
g. In the genitive plural, “derer” can be used rather than “deren” to refer forwards (it is most frequent with a following relative clause):
h. The pronoun “das” is used as an emphatic form of “es”.
i. A form of the prepositional adverb is normally used rather than a preposition followed by the demonstrative pronoun. (damit = with that; darin = in that)
- DEMONSTRATIVES (2)
- 1.2. “DIESER” = THIS
Declension of dieser :
M- dieser, diesen, dieses, diesem
F- diese, diese, dieser, dieser
N- dieses, dieses, dieses, diesem
Pl- diese, diese, dieser, diesen
a. As a determiner and a pronoun “dieser” refers to something near at hand (= this)
- Diese Erklärung ist unbefriedigend.
- Dieser Junge Arbeiter aber gut.
- Er hat den roten Wagen nicht gekauft, weil ihm dieser viel besser gefallen hat.
b. The short pronoun form “dies” is commonly used for dieses (= this).
It refers to something close by or recent and its use corresponds closely to that of English “this”:
- Dies geschieht nicht oft.
- Gerade dies hatte ich vergessen.
“Dies”, like “das”, can be used irrespective of gender or number, with a plural verb where appropriate:
- Dies sind meine Schwestern.
- Dies ist meine Frau.
5.1.2.
- DEMONSTRATIVES (3)
- 1.3. “JENER” = THAT
“Jener” (= that) declines like “dieser” and restricted to a few special uses in formal written German:
a. to contrast with “dieser”:
- Er wollte nicht dieses Bild verkaufen, sondern jenes (= he didn’t want to sell this picture, but that one)
- Wir sprachen über dieses und jenes (less formal: “über dies und das”)
b. to refer to something distant, but well-known:
- Werfen wir einen kurzen Blick über den Eisernen Vorhang jener Zeit (= let’s cast a short glance at the Iron Curtain of those times)
c. with a following relative clause:
- Sein linker Arm war mit dicken Tüchern umwickelt, wie es bei jenen Brauch ist, die Hunde zum Anpacken einüben (= His left arm had thick material wrapped round it, as is the custom with those who train dogs to attack)
5.1.3.
- DEMONSTRATIVES (4)
- 1.4. “DERJENIGE” = THAT
“Derjenige” is an emphatic demonstrative determiner or pronoun which is typically used with a following restrictive clause (= that (one), which/who)
- Wir wollen diejenigen Schüler herausfinden, die Musikalisch begabt sind. (= We want to find those pupils who are musically gifted)
- Dieses neue Denken ist für denjenigen, der ein bisschen Bildung hat, ein sehr altes Denken gewesen. (= This new way of thinking is an old way for those who have a little education)
5.1.4.
Declension:
MASCULINE N. : derjenige A. : denjenigen G. : desjenigen D. : demjenigen
FEMININE N. : diejenige A. : diejenige G. : derjenigen D. : derjenigen
NEUTER N. : dasjenige A. : dasjenige G. : desjenigen D. : demjenigen
PLURAL N. : diejenigen A. : diejenigen G. : derjenigen D. : denjenigen
- DEMONSTRATIVES (5)
- 1.5. “DERSELBE” = THE SAME
“Derselbe” decline like “derjenige”.
It can be used with a contracted preposition (“am selben Tag”, “zur selben Zeit”).
- Er besucht dieselbe Schule wie dein Bruder.
- Sind das dieselben?
- Sie wohnt im selben Haus.
The difference between “derselbe” (= the very same) and “der gleiche” (= one which is similar):
- Er trägt den gleichen Hut (= he is wearing the same (= a similar) hat)
5.1.5.
DECLENSION
MASCULINE N. : derselbe A. : denselben G. : desselben D. : demselben
FEMININE N. : dieselbe A. : dieselbe G. : derselben D. : derselben
NEUTER N. : dasselbe A. : dasselbe G. : desselben D. : demselben
PLURAL N. : dieselben A. : dieselben G. : derselben D. : denselben
- DEMONSTRATIVES (6)
- 1.6. “SOLCH” AND OTHER EQUIVALENT OF SUCH
“solch-“ occurs in a number of forms:
° inflected “solcher”, which decline like “dieser”, except that in the genitive singular masculine and neuter it usually has the ending “-en” if the noun has the ending “-(e)s”
- Der Vorzug solchen Spieles.
° endingless “solch”, used with an indefinite article:
- Solch ein Unsinn.
° “solch-“ used after the indefinite article “ein” or another determiner, with the endings of an adjective:
- ein solches Buch, jeder solche Gedanke, alle solchen Frauen.
The use of this forms is as follows:
a. The commonest variants for the determiner are “ein solcher” in the singular and inflected “solche” in the plural:
- Einen solchen Wagen würde ich nie kaufen.
- Solchen Leuten kann man alles erzählen.
- solche großen Häuser
b. Inflected “solcher” as a determiner in the singular is found principally in formal, especially literary register.
- bei solchem Wetter
- ein Mann, der solchem Rat nicht folgte.
c. Usage as a determiner with a following adjective
(i) The most usual equivalent with singular count nouns for English “such a” followed by an adjective is “ein so” (more colloquial “so ein”):
- ein so großes Haus / so ein großes Haus (= such a big house)
(ii) In spoken German “so” is also used with plural count nouns and singular mass nouns, but the written language prefers inflected “solcher”:
- so große Häuser (spoken) / solche großen Häuser (written) (= such big houses)
- bei so gutem Wetter (spoken) / bei solchem guten Wetter (written) (= in such good weather)
(iii) In formal registers uninflected “solch” is not uncommon if an adjective follows. It also occurs in a few set phrases:
- mit solch unermüdlichem Eifer (= with such tireless enthusiasm)
- Solch dummes Gerede! (= Such stupid gossip!)
d. In formal registers uninflected “solch” can be used as a determiner with a following indefinite article.
This is more emphatic than if the article comes first:
- Solch einem Experten sollte das nicht passieren.
e. Pronoun usage
(i) The most usual variants are “solche” (plural) and “so einer” (singular)
- Ich habe solche oft gesehen (= I’ve often seen ones like that)
- So eines kann ich mir nicht leisten.
(ii) Singular “solcher” is used after “als”
- Der Falls als solcher interessiert mich (= The case as such interests me)
(iii) Singular “(k)ein solcher” is restricted to literary registers. In the singular, it sounds rather stilted:
- Sie hatte auch einen solchen.
- Leider haben wir keine solchen mehr.
f. The adjective “derartig” is a common, more emphatic alternative to “solch-“.
It is used with “ein” in the singular, or with no article in either singular or plural.
- Er fuhr mit einer derartigen (such a) Geschwindigkeit gegen die Mauer, dass…
- Derartige Gerüchte hören wir oft (= We often hear rumors like those)
If another adjective follows, “derartig” may be uninflected:
- Er fuhr mit einer derartig(en) hohen Geschwindigkeit gegen die Mauer, dass…
In some contexts, there can be a difference in meaning.
- ein derartig dummes Geschwätz (= gossip which is stupid to such an extent)
- ein derartiges dummes Geschwätz (= such gossip which is stupid).
g. “Dergleichen” and “derlei”
They do not decline. They are used as determiners or pronouns meaning “suchlike”, “that kind/sort of”:
- Dergleichen Behauptungen stören mich.
- Nichts dergleichen (= nothing of the kind)
- Er hatte ein langes Messer oder dergleichen in der Tasche.
5.1.6.
- POSSESSIVES (1)
- 2.1. THE POSSESSIVES HAVE DISTINCT BASE FORMS FOR EACH GRAMMATICAL PERSON
To refer back to indefinites, the masculine form “sein” is used:
- Wer hat seine Zahnbürste vergessen?
Niemand hatte sein Heft mit.
5.2.1.
Base forms of the possessive pronouns and determiners:
- ich => mein
- du => dein
- er => sein
- sie => ihr
- es => sein
- wir => unser
- ihr => euer
- Sie => Ihr
- sie => ihr
- POSSESSIVES (2)
- 2.2. WHEN USED AS DETERMINERS THE POSSESSIVES HAVE THE SAME ENDINGS AS THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE
a. The “-er” of “unser” and “euer” is part of the root and NOT an ending
b. When “unser” and “euer” have an ending, the “-e-“ of the root is often dropped:
e. g. - unsrer, unsren, eurer, euren
Alternatively the “-e-“ of the endings “-en” or “-em” may be dropped:
e.g. - unsern, unserm, euern, euerm
With “unser”, the full forms are the more usual ones in written German, although the reduced forms, which are the norm in speech, are quite permissible.
With “euer”, the form with no “-e-“ in the root (euren, eurer, eures, eurem) are by far the most common in both spoken and written German.
5.2.2.
DECLENSION OF THE POSSESSIVE DETERMINERS
MEIN/UNSER
MASCULINE N. : mein / unser A. : meinen / unseren G. : meines / unseres D. : meinem / unserem
FEMININE N. : meine / unsere A. : meine / unsere G. : meiner / unserer D. : meiner / unserer
NEUTER N. : mein / unser A. : mein / unser G. : meines / unseres D. : meinem / unserem
PLURAL N. : meine / unsere A. : meine / unsere G. : meiner / unserer D. : meinen / unseren
- POSSESSIVES (3)
- 2.3. WHEN USED AS PRONOUNS, THE POSSESSIVES HAVE THE ENDINGS OF “DIESER”
a. The forms of the possessive pronouns
(i) Unlike the possessive determiners, the possessive pronouns have endings in the nominative singular masculine and the nominative/accusative singular neuter (= meiner, meines):
- Das ist nicht mein hut, sondern deiner.
- Hast du dein Fahrrad? Ich sehe meins nicht.
- Seine Sammlung ist größer als meine.
- Ihr Garten ist größer als unsrer.
- Er sprach mit meinen Eltern, ich mit seinen.
- Ich nehme unsren Wagen. In seinem habe ich immer Angst.
(ii) The “-e-“ of the nominative / accusative neuter ending -“es” is often dropped in writing and almost always in speech (i.e. “meins”, “deins”).
With “unseres” and “eueres” the “-e-“ of the ending is dropped (i.e. “unsers”, “euers”).
Otherwise, “unserer” and “euerer” can drop the “-e-“ of the root or the ending as with the possessive determiner.
(iii) Endingless forms of the possessive are occasionally found in set phrases, archaic expressions or poetic language.
- Dein ist mein Herz!
- Die Welt ist unser.
- Die Rache ist mein.
b. Alternative forms of the possessive pronoun.
The following types of phrases are sometimes used instead of “meiner”, “deiner”, “unserer”, etc.
The possessive forms are used as adjectives after a definite article, and they have the endings of adjectives.
They can be spelled with a small or a capital initial letter.
(i) Current mainly in set phrases
- der meinige/Meinige = mine
- der deinige/Deinige = yours
- der uns(e)rige/Unsrige = ours
- die Deinigen (les tiens)
- Ich habe das Meinige getan (= I’ve done my bit)
(ii) Rather more emphatic than “meiner”
- der meine/Meine = mine
- der deine/Deine = yours
- der uns(e)re/Unsre = ours
- Seine Sammlung ist größer als die meinige.
- Seine Sammlung ist größer als die meine.
These forms are much less common than “meiner” etc., and are found mainly in formal written German.
5.2.3.
- POSSESSIVES (4)
- 2.4. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GERMAN AND ENGLISH IN THE USE OF THE POSSESSIVES
a. A definite article is often used rather than a possessive to refer to parts of the body and articles of clothing:
- Sie hat sich den Arm gebrochen.
b. Some idiomatic equivalents
- Das gehört mir. Gehört das dir?
- ein Freund von mir / einer meiner Freunde
- Freunde von mir
- Das ist eins von meinen Büchern.
- Mein Vater und meine Mutter.
5.2.4.
- INTERROGATIVES (1)
- 3.1. “WELCHER” = WHICH
a. “Welcher” can be used as a determiner or a pronoun (same endings as “dieser”).
- Welches Bier willst du trinken?
- Aus welchem Land kommt sie denn?
- Welcher berühmte Schriftsteller hat diesen Roman geschrieben?
- Hier sind zwei gute Romane. Welchen möchtest du zuerst lesen?
- Er fragte mich, welchen (Roman) ich zuerst lesen wollte.
b. Some special uses of “welcher”
(i) Before an adjective the endingless form “welch” is sometimes used, in formal written German only, as an alternative to the declined form:
- Welch berühmter Schriftsteller hat diesen Roman geschrieben?
- Die Künstler zeigten, welch reiches Kulturgut sie mitbrachten.
(ii) In the genitive singular masculine and neuter the determiner can have the ending “-en” rather than “-es” if the following noun has the ending “-(e)s”:
- Welchen / Welches Kindes Buch ist das?
- Innerhalb welchen Zeitraumes müssen nicht bestandene Prüfungen wiederholt werden?
In practice, the genitive tends to be avoided if possible.
(iii) “Welcher” can have the neuter singular form “welches” when it is used as a pronoun in an indefinite sense with the verb “sein”, irrespective of the gender and number of the noun it refers to:
- Welches ist die jüngere Schwester?
- Welches sind die besten Zeitungen?
- Welches ist der längste Fluss in Amerika?
Using endings in agreement with the following noun would be equally possible in these examples:
- Welche ist die jüngere Schwester? etc.
c. “Welcher” is used in exclamations (= what (a)..!)
- Welcher Unterschied!
- Welcher schöne Tag!
- Welche Überraschung!
- Welchen unglaublichen Unsinn hat er geredet!
Endingless “welch” can be used for declined “welcher” in exclamations if “ein” or an adjective follows.
- Welch ein Unterschied!
- Welch (ein) schöner Tag!
- Welch eine Überraschung!
- Welch unglaublichen Unsinn hat er geredet!
- Der Smogalarm machte erneut deutlich, in welch hohem Maße die Luft mit Giftstoffen verseucht ist (= The smog alarm made it clear once again to what high degree the air is polluted with poisonous substances).
This exclamatory use of “welch(er)” is mainly found in formal German.
“Was für (ein)” is more current in speech.
5.3.1.
- INTERROGATIVES (2)
- 3.2. WAS FÜR (EIN{ER}) = WHAT KIND OF (A)
a. “Was für (ein{er})” can be used as a determiner or a pronoun.
(i) Used as a determiner, “ein” in “was für ein” declines like the indefinite article. Simple “was für”, without “ein”, is used in the plural and before mass nouns in the singular.
The case of “ein” is not dependent on für.
- Aus was für einer Familie stammt er?
- Sie können sich denken, in was für einer schwierigen Lage ich mich befand.
- Was für Käse soll ich kaufen?
- Was für ausländische Marken haben Sie?
(ii) When used as a pronoun, “was für einer” (what kind (of a one)) has the endings of the pronoun “einer”. In the plural “was für welche” is used.
- Er hat sich ein neues Auto gekauft. Was für eins? (what kind?)
- Ich habe Blumen gebracht. Was für welche?
b. “Was” is often separated from “für (ein{er})”
This is especially frequent in speech, but the construction is used in writing, too.
- Was hast du denn für ein Auto gekauft?
- Was sind das für Vögel?
c. “Was für (ein{er})” is used in exclamations (= What (a)…!)
It is in practice commoner than “welcher”, especially in less formal registers. In this usage the separated form is more frequent:
- Was für eine Chance!
- Was für herrliche Blumen!
- Er ist ein Schauspieler - und was für einer!
- Was sind das für wunderschöne Häuser!
If there is a verb in these exclamations, it may, alternatively, go to the end, like in a subordinate clause:
- Was für wunderschöne Häuser das sind!
d. In colloquial speech “was für (ein{er}) is often used for “welcher” (= which).
This usage is considered substandard.
- Was für ein Kleid ziehst du an? (= Which dress are you going to wear?)
5.3.2.
- INTERROGATIVES (3)
- 3.2. “WER”, “WAS” = WHO, WHAT
a. “wer” and “was” are used only as pronouns.
(i) “wer”, like English “who”, only refers to persons. It does not distinguish gender.
Examples of use:
- Wer hat diesen Brief geschrieben?
- Wen hast du heute gesprochen.
- Wem wollten sie vorhin (just now) helfen?
- Mit wem hast du gespielt?
- Wessen Bücher sind das?
- Ich kann Ihnen sagen, wer spielte.
(ii) “was”, like English “what”, refers only to things. Its only case form is the genitive “wessen”.
- Was bewegt sich dort im Gebüsch (bushes)?
- Was hat sie dir zum Geburtstag geschenkt?
- Wessen schämst du dich? (= What are you ashamed of?)
- Weißt du, was er getan hat?
But the genitive form “wessen”, whether referring to people or things, is felt to be clumsy and is avoided nowadays, even in written German. Thus:
- Wem gehören diese Bücher? (used)
- Wessen Bücher sind das? (not used)
- Warum schämst du dich? (used)
- Wessen schämst du dich?
As “was” has no dative, a paraphrase has to be used in contexts where it would be needed, e.g.:
- Welche Ursache kann man seinen Erfolg zuschreiben? (= To what can one ascribe his success? => literally: to what cause…?)
b. Nominative “wer” and “was” are usually followed by a singular verb
(i) Compare the examples in (a) above and the following:
- Wer kommt denn morgen?
- Was liegt dort in der Ecke?
(ii) However, with “sein” the appropriate singular or plural of the verb is used, as in English:
- Wer ist das an der Tür?
- Wer sind diese Leute?
- Was ist der Vogel da?
- Was sind die längsten Flüsse der Welt?
(iii) To emphasise quantity, “alles” is often added to sentences with “wer” and “was”. This usage is chiefly colloquial:
- Wen kennen Sie hier alles?
- Was hat er denn alles gefragt?
c. “was” is not used in combination with most prepositions
The compound forms “wo(r)” + preposition are used instead (“woran”, “womit”, “wozu”, etc.)
(i) These forms are like those of the prepositional adverb with “da(r)-“:
- Womit schreibst du?
- Worüber sprechen Sie?
- Weißt du, worauf wir warten?
Some prepositions are not used in the form with “wo(r)-“, i.e. “außer”, “gegenüber”, “hinter”, “neben”, “ohne”, “seit”, “zwischen”
(ii) The forms “wodurch”, “wonach”, “wovon” and “wozu” can only be used if there is no idea of movement involved, e.g.:
- Wodurch weiß er das?
- Wonach soll man sich denn richten? (= by what is one to be guided?)
- Wovon sollen wir leben?
- Wozu gebraucht man das? (= What is that used for?)
Compare:
- Durch was? (through what?)
- Von Wo? Woher (where…from?)
- Wohin? (where to?)
(iii) In colloquial German “was” (irrespective of case) is often heard with a preposition instead of “wo(r)-“ + preposition, e.g.
- Von was sollen wir leben?
This usage is considered substandard.
d. “wer” and “was” are commonly used in exclamations
Wer hätte so was erwartet!
Wem hat er nicht alles geholfen!
Was haben wir gelacht! (= how we laughed!)
Was er nicht alles tut! (= the things he does!)
e. “was” can be followed by an adjective used as a noun, with the neuter ending “-es”
The adjective is separated from “was” and placed later in the sentence:
- Was haben sie Wichtiges besprochen?
- Was ist Komisches dran?
- Was könnt ihr hier anderes erwarten?
f. Idiomatic differences between German and English.
In a few contexts German has “wie” where English uses “what”:
- Wie ist Ihr Name, bitte?
- Wie heißt Ihr Bruder?
- Wie ist das Buch?
h. Other uses of “wer” and “was”
(i) “wer” and “was” are used as relative pronouns (= who, which, that) in some contexts.
(ii) “wer” and “was” are used in some concessive clauses (= whoever, whatever)
(iii) Colloquial used of “wer” as an indefinite (= someone)
5.3.2.
DECLENSION OF “WER”
N. wer
A. wen
G. wessen
D. wem
5.4. RELATIVE PRONOUNS (1)
Relative pronouns introduce subordinate clauses (called “relative clauses”) which describe or qualify nouns.
In this way relative clauses have the same function in a sentence as adjectives.
- 4.1. “DER” = WHO, WHICH, THAT
a. “der” is the most commonly used relative pronoun in German.
“der” takes its gender and number from the noun it refers to, e.g.:
- der Mann, der heute zu uns kommt (Masculine).
- die Frau, die heute zu uns kommt (Feminine).
- das Kind, das heute zu uns kommt (Neuter).
- die Leute, die heute zu uns kommen (Plural).
Its case is determined by the role it plays in the relative clause:
- Der Mann, der zu uns kommst (subject of “kommt”)
- den Mann, den ich kenne (accusative object of “kenne”)
- der Mann, dem ich helfen musste (dative object of “helfen”)
- der Mann, mit dem sie gekommen ist (preposition mit)
b. Relative clauses are less frequent in spoken German than in writing.
In speech, a construction with a main clause (and the verb in second place) and the demonstrative pronoun “der” is often used rather than a subordinate relative clause (with verb at the end).
This is usually considered to be poor style in writing, unless colloquial speech is being imitated, as in the following examples:
- Er trug ein Heft bei sich, in dem standen die Namen der fünfzig Verräter (= He had a little book with him in which the names of the fifty traitors were written down).
- Es gibt Leute, die freuen sich über die Fahrt (= there are people who are pleased about the trip).
c. The genitive of “der”
(i) The genitive forms of “der” correspond to English “whose” or “of which”:
- Die Frau, deren Namen ich immer vergesse
- Ein Mann, von dessen Erfolg ich hörte.
NB: It is incorrect (though a common mistake by Germans) to decline “dessen” and “deren”, ie.
- ein Mann von dessem (correct: “dessen”) Erfolg ich hörte.
(ii) In the genitive plural and the genitive singular feminine “derer” is sometimes used rather than “deren”
- die ungewöhnliche Autorität, derer sich die katholischen Bischöfe in Polen erfreuen (= the extraordinary authority which is enjoyed by the Catholic bishop in Poland).
This usage is considered incorrect by the standard authorities, but “derer” is in practice more frequent than “deren”, especially in the genitive plural. However, “deren” is preferred if a noun follows:
- die Frau, deren Tochter du kennst.
(iii) . After prepositions, the shorter form “der” also occurs for “deren”:
- eine lange Übergangszeit von sechs Jahren, innerhalb der die Länder die Juristenausbildung umstellen können (= a long transitional period of six years, within which the Länder can reorganise the training of lawyers).
(iv) Constructions of the type “one of whom”, “most of which”, “some of which” correspond to constructions with “von denen” in German
- Die Studenten, von denen ich einen nicht kenne (= the students, one of whom I don’t know).
- Eine Anzahl Junge, von denen ich die meisten kenne (= a number of boys, most of whom I know).
- Viele Bilder, von denen einige ganz gut sind (= a lot of pictures, some of which are quite good).
(v) “dessen” and “deren” are compounded with “-halben”, “-wegen” and “-willen” with the insertion of a “-t-“:
- das Außenhandelsgesetz, dessentwegen Nixon so lange mit dem Kongress kämpft (= the foreign trade bill, because of which Nixon has been battling so long with Congress)
d. Relative pronouns with first and second person personal pronouns.
Normally the pronoun is repeated in the relative clause. :
- Du, der/die du ja nicht alles wissen kannst.
- Für mich, die ich noch gar nicht ordentlich lesen konnte.
- Ich, der ich seit 20 Jahren seinem Volke diene.
The alternative construction with a third person verb is possible, but less frequent in practice:
- ich, der seit 20 Jahren seinem Volke dient.
5.4.1.
DECLENSION OF THE RELATIVE PRONOUN “DER”
M: der, den, dessen, dem
F: die, die, deren, der
N: das, das, dessen, dem
Pl: die, die, deren, denen
- RELATIVE PRONOUNS (2)
- 4.2. “WELCHER” = WHO, WHICH, THAT
a. “Welcher” is chiefly used as a stylistic variant of “der”
It has the same endings as “dieser” but it is not normally used n the genitive. It is restricted to formal written German, and even there it can be considered clumsy and is much less frequent than “der”.
- die Gerüchte, welche über die wirtschaftliche Lage meines Vaters am Orte umgelaufen waren (= the rumours which had been circulation in the town about my father’s financial situation)
It is frequent (although never necessary) to avoid repeating forms of “der”:
- Die, welche zuletzt kamen, waren erschöpft.
- Die, die gingen, haben in der DDR mehr verändert, als die, die geblieben sind (also perfectly acceptable).
b. “Welcher” is used in formal German before a noun which refers back to part or whole of the preceding clause (= which)
In this construction “welcher” agrees with the following noun for case, number and gender.
- Er wurde zum Stadtdirektor ernannt, welches Amt er gewissenhaft verwaltete. (= He was appointed town clerk, which office he administered conscientiously)
- Er sagte ihr, sie müsse den Betrag sofort zurückzahlen, welcher Forderung sie dann auch nachging (= He told her she had to repay the amount immediately, which request she then complied with).
5.4.2.
- RELATIVE PRONOUNS (3)
- 4.3. “WAS” IS USED AS A RELATIVE PRONOUN IN SOME CONTEXTS
The only case form of “was” in this usage is the genitive “wessen”, which tends to be avoided. “was” is used:
a. After neuter indefinites (i.e. “alles”, “einiges”, “etwas”, “folgendes”, “manches”, “nichts”, “vieles”, “weniges”):
- Nichts/Etwas/Alles, was er sagte, war mir neu.
- Sie mieden alles, was ihre Unabhängigkeit einschränken könnte (= They avoided anything which could restrict their independence).
After “etwas”, “das” may be used as an alternative to “was” if something specific is referred to:
- Ich erinnere mich an etwas Merkwürdiges, das er sagte.
“das” is occasionally found after other indefinites, but this usage is considered incorrect.
NB. After prepositions, forms of “was” are replaced by the prepositional adverb “wo(r)-“.
b. After a neuter adjective used as a noun referring to something indefinite.
This usage is particularly frequent with superlatives.
- Das Richtige, was man sich ansehen müsste, finden wir nie.
- Das Erste, was Evelyn sah, waren Mariannes Augen.
If the adjective refers to something specific, “das” can be used, although the difference in meaning can be very slight.
- Das Gute, das er getan hat, wird ihn überdauern.
However, “was” is ALWAYS used after superlatives
c. After the indefinite demonstrative “das”
- Eben das, was uns fehlte, hat er uns verweigert (= he denied us just what we were lacking)
If “das” is in the genitive or dative, or after a preposition, it cannot be omitted. In English, by contrast, only “what” may be needed.
- Ich hörte nichts von dem, was er mir sagte.
- Eine Antwort auf das, was er gerade dachte
- Ein eifriger Leser dessen, was neu auf Markt kommt (= a keen reader of what is new on the market)
d. To refer back to a whole clause
- Er hat sein Examen bestanden, was mich sehr erstaunt.
- Er sagte, er hätte mich damals gesehen, was ich nicht glauben konnte.
5.4.3.
- RELATIVE PRONOUNS (4)
- 4.4. RELATIVE PRONOUNS AFTER PREPOSITION
a. Normal usage is the appropriate form of “der” after the preposition
The construction corresponds more closely to that of written English than to that with a “stranded” preposition typical of spoken English
- Die Frau, auf die Sie warten. (= the woman for whom you are waiting // The woman you are waiting for)
- Der Stuhl, auf den du dich setzen wolltest.
- Der Stuhl, auf dem du sitzt.
- Der Bleistift, mit dem sie schreibt.
- Die Stadt, in der ich wohne.
b. The form “wo(r)” + preposition as a relative pronoun
(i) “wo(r)-“ + preposition is used in all contexts where “was” is used as a relative pronoun, since “was” is not used after a preposition.
- Das, woran du denkst, errate (guess) ich nie.
- Er hat sein Examen bestanden, worüber ich mich freue (= he passed his test, which I am very pleased about)
If “etwas” refers to something specific, preposition + “das” can be used instead of “wo(r)” + preposition:
- Ich spürte, dass noch etwas geschehen war… etwas, für das sich nur ein Anlass ergeben hatte.
(ii) “wo(r)” + preposition used to be a common alternative to the preposition followed by “der” to refer to things. This usage is now unusual even in formal registers, and the standard authorities advise against it
- das Heim, worin ich geboren wurde.
5.4.4.
