Key learning points

1. Relative clauses add information about the noun in the main clause, without starting another sentence.
2. English uses relative pronouns ‘who’, ‘that’, ‘which’, while German uses the definite article that matches the noun.
3. In German the relative pronoun kicks the verb to the end of the relative clause; this is called word order three (WO3).
4. Use indefinite pronouns 'jemand' ('someone') or 'niemand' ('no one') instead of a noun when the exact person is unknown.
5. When using 'jemand' or 'niemand' in subject relative clauses, use the relative pronoun 'der' as for masculine nouns.

Keywords

• Relative clause - adds information about the noun in the main clause

• Relative pronoun - pronoun that introduces a relative clause, e.g., ‘who’, ‘that’, ‘which’ - in German words 'der', 'die', 'das' are used

• Word order three (WO3) - the verb is sent to the end of the sentence or clause

Common misconception