B1 · Pronouns
Relative and demonstrative pronouns
der, die, das — pointing and joining
The same six words work as article, as relative pronoun and as a demonstrative that replaces a noun entirely.
German gets a great deal of work out of der, die, das. In front of a noun they are the definite article. After a comma they join a relative clause. And standing alone, stressed, they replace a noun and point at it: Den kenne ich — "I know that one".
The demonstrative use is very common in speech and almost invisible in textbooks. Der hat angerufen, die weiß das, das habe ich nicht gewusst — a German conversation is full of them, and a learner who only knows the article reads them as a missing noun.
The forms are the article's, with the same three exceptions as in a relative clause: dessen, deren and the dative plural denen. Learning the relative pronoun therefore also gives you the demonstrative, which is a good return for one table.
Die Form
| as an article | der Mann, die Frau, das Kind |
| as a relative pronoun | der Mann, der dort steht |
| as a demonstrative | Den kenne ich. |
| genitive | dessen, deren |
| dative plural | denen |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
Standing alone and stressed, der/die/das replaces a noun and points at it.
Der hat vorhin angerufen.He called earlier.
The demonstrative usually takes the first position in the sentence.
Das habe ich nicht gewusst.I did not know that.
dieser and jener are the written equivalents and take the same endings.
Diesen Vorschlag finde ich besser.I prefer this suggestion.
The forms are the article, plus dessen, deren and denen.
Die Kollegen, mit denen ich arbeite, sind nett.The colleagues I work with are nice.
Genauer hingesehen
Why one set of words does three jobs
The definite article did not start as an article. It was a demonstrative — a pointing word — and it became an article by being used so often that it stopped pointing at anything in particular. English did exactly the same with that, which is why "the" and "that" are related words.
German kept all three functions alive at once, distinguished by stress and position rather than by form. That is economical and it is why the same six words fill three chapters of a grammar: they are not three sets of homonyms but one word doing what it always did, in three degrees of emphasis.
Ausnahmen und Sonderfälle (2)
-
the demonstrative refers back to a whole clause
it is always das, whatever the gender of anything mentioned.
Er kommt später. Das hat er mir gesagt.He is coming later. He told me so.
A clause has no gender, so the neuter does duty for the whole idea.
-
the sentence introduces or identifies somebody
das is used regardless of gender and number: das ist meine Schwester, das sind meine Eltern.
Das sind meine Eltern.These are my parents.
The das points at the situation rather than at the person, so it does not agree with them.
Woran man es erkennt
- der
- die
- das
- den
- dem
- dessen
- deren
- denen
- dieser
Beispielsätze
Die kenne ich noch aus der Schule.I know her from school.
Das ist mir neu.That is news to me.
Dem traue ich nicht.I do not trust him.
Diesen Weg nehmen wir nicht.We are not taking this route.
Der Kollege, dessen Auto da steht, ist im Urlaub.The colleague whose car is parked there is on holiday.
Noch 8 Beispielsätze
Den Film habe ich schon gesehen.I have already seen that film.
Die kommt bestimmt zu spät.She is bound to be late.
Mit dem rede ich nicht mehr.I am not talking to him any more.
Das ist genau das Problem.That is exactly the problem.
Diese Woche geht es nicht.This week is not possible.
Der Nachbar, dessen Hund immer bellt, ist umgezogen.The neighbour whose dog always barks has moved away.
Denen habe ich alles erklärt.I explained everything to them.
Das war nicht meine Idee.That was not my idea.
Besonderheiten (2)
-
das is the all-purpose subject of an identification
<z>Das ist mein Bruder</z>, <z>das sind meine Eltern</z>, <z>das war ein langer Tag</z> — the <z>das</z> never agrees with what follows, because it points at the situation rather than at the noun. The verb, however, does agree: <z>das sind</z> and not <z>das ist</z> with a plural.
Das sind die neuen Kollegen.These are the new colleagues.
-
Fronting a demonstrative is how German emphasises
Putting the demonstrative first — <z>Den kenne ich nicht</z>, <z>Das habe ich nicht gesagt</z> — gives a stress English carries with intonation or a cleft sentence. It is one of the cheapest ways to sound less flat, and it costs nothing but a change of order.
Das habe ich nie behauptet.I never claimed that.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
The demonstrative is stressed and points at somebody already in view or already mentioned; it is not a neutral substitute for er. Used unstressed it sounds curt to the point of rudeness, because German reserves it for singling somebody out. When introducing or identifying, the neutral das is the word: das ist mein Bruder.
Stressed and alone, it points. Unstressed, use er, sie, es.
Jetzt selbst
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