B2 · Pronouns
Relative clauses without a noun
Das, was du sagst. Alles, was ich weiß.
When there is no noun to attach to, the relative pronoun is was — and after a preposition it is a wo-form.
An ordinary relative clause attaches to a noun and uses der, die, das: Das Buch, das ich lese. When there is no noun — when the clause refers to a whole statement or to an indefinite word — the pronoun is was instead.
Three situations call for it. After das, alles, nichts, etwas, vieles, manches: Alles, was du sagst, Das ist etwas, was ich nicht verstehe. After a nominalised superlative: Das Beste, was passieren konnte. And referring back to a whole clause: Er kam zu spät, was mich geärgert hat.
After a preposition was is not used; the wo(r)- form takes over, exactly as it does in questions. Das ist alles, worauf es ankommt. Er schwieg, worüber ich froh war.
Die Form
| nach alles, nichts, etwas | alles, was ich weiß |
| nach das | das, was du meinst |
| nach dem Superlativ | das Schönste, was es gibt |
| auf einen ganzen Satz | Er kam nicht, was schade war. |
| mit Präposition | alles, worauf es ankommt |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
was is the relative pronoun when there is no noun to attach to.
Ich glaube alles, was er sagt.I believe everything he says.
It also refers back to a whole preceding clause.
Sie hat abgesagt, was mich überrascht hat.She cancelled, which surprised me.
After a nominalised superlative the pronoun is was.
Das ist das Beste, was ich gehört habe.That is the best thing I have heard.
After a preposition, a wo-form replaces was.
Das ist etwas, wovon ich nichts weiß.That is something I know nothing about.
Genauer hingesehen
The clause that comments on the sentence
The third use is the most useful in writing: a was clause at the end that comments on everything before it. Der Zug hatte Verspätung, was niemanden überraschte. English does exactly the same with "which", and it is one of the few places where a German construction transfers without any adjustment.
It is worth using deliberately, because the alternative — starting a new sentence with das — is heavier and repeats what was just said. The comma before was is obligatory, like the comma before every subordinate clause.
Ausnahmen und Sonderfälle (2)
-
the antecedent is a noun after all
the ordinary pronoun returns.
das Beste Buch, das ich kennethe best book I know
Das Buch, das ich lese has a noun, so das is right and was is not.
-
a place is meant
German uses wo as a relative adverb.
die Stadt, wo ich geboren binthe town where I was born
It replaces a preposition plus pronoun and is much lighter.
Woran man es erkennt
- was
- alles
- nichts
- etwas
- das
- wovon
- worauf
- worüber
Beispielsätze
Alles, was glänzt, ist nicht Gold.Not everything that glitters is gold.
Er sagte nichts, was mich beruhigt hätte.He said nothing that would have reassured me.
Das, was du meinst, gibt es nicht mehr.What you mean does not exist any more.
Sie kam pünktlich, was selten vorkommt.She was on time, which rarely happens.
Es gibt vieles, worüber wir reden müssen.There is a lot we need to talk about.
Noch 6 Beispielsätze
Ich habe alles gesagt, was ich weiß.I have said everything I know.
Das ist das Einzige, was hilft.That is the only thing that helps.
Er lachte, was selten vorkommt.He laughed, which is rare.
Gibt es etwas, was du brauchst?Is there anything you need?
Das Haus, wo wir wohnten, steht nicht mehr.The house where we lived is gone.
Es gibt nichts, wofür ich mich schäme.There is nothing I am ashamed of.
Besonderheiten (2)
-
wo is not only for places
In casual speech <z>wo</z> turns up as an all-purpose relative word: <z>der Tag, wo wir uns kennengelernt haben</z>. It is widespread, it is not accepted in writing, and the standard form is <z>an dem</z>. With a genuine place it is correct everywhere.
-
The proverb is misquoted twice over
<z>Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glänzt</z> is the German form of a proverb English also has. Both versions put the negation in an odd place — it is not that nothing glitters, but that not everything glittering is gold — and both are said the same way anyway.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
Das is a relative pronoun for a neuter noun, and alles is not a noun — it is an indefinite pronoun with no gender to agree with. English uses "that" in both cases and gives no warning. The rule is easy to apply: if the word in front is alles, nichts, etwas, vieles or a bare das, the pronoun is was.
No noun in front means was, not das.
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