Grammar: Relative and Interrogative Pronouns

1. Introduction to Relative and Interrogative Pronouns

Relative and interrogative pronouns are a crucial part of German grammar. They act as link words in sentences and questions.
Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, providing extra information about someone or something without starting a new sentence.
Interrogative pronouns are used for asking questions and refer to the information that the speaker is seeking.

2. Relative Pronouns

German relative pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to. They also reflect the case required by their role in the relative clause.
Each definite article ‘der’, ‘die’, ‘das’ and ‘den’ becomes a relative pronoun equivalent in the nominative case. For example, ‘die Frau, die’ (the woman, who/that).
In the accusative case, ‘der’ changes to ‘den’ for masculine nouns, while feminine and neuter stay the same. For example, ‘den Mann, den’ (the man, whom/that).
In the dative case, ‘der’ changes to ‘dem’, ‘die’ changes to ‘der’, and ‘das’ changes to ‘dem’. For example, ‘dem Kind, dem’ (the child, to whom/that).
In the genitive case, ‘der’ changes to ‘dessen’ for masculine and neuter, ‘die’ changes to ‘deren’ for feminine, and ‘die’ for plural changes to ‘deren’. For example, ‘das Haus, dessen’ (the house, whose).

3. Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used when asking questions.
The main interrogative pronouns can be summarised as ‘wer’ (who), ‘was’ (what), and ‘welcher’ (which).
‘Welcher’ is the equivalent to English ‘which’ or ‘what’. If the question relates to a choice or selection, this pronoun is often used. For example, ‘Welcher Hund ist der deine?’ (Which dog is yours?)
‘Wer’ is used in questions about persons. It means ‘who’ in English. For example, ‘Wer bist du?’ (Who are you?)
‘Was’ is used to ask about things. It translates to ‘what’ in English. For example, ‘Was ist das?’ (What is this?)

4. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Remember that relative pronouns agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they refer to. Incorrect agreement is a common mistake.
Identifying whether to use relative or interrogative pronouns can be tricky. Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions, whereas relative pronouns are used to introduce a relative clause.
Remember that ‘was’ cannot refer to human beings, even in non-specific or hypothetical cases. Use ‘wer’ when referring to people.

5. Practising Pronouns

Learning the different forms of relative pronouns and understanding when to use them is key. Practice by constructing sentences with different relative pronouns.
Try to create different types of questions using different interrogative pronouns. This will enhance your understanding of their use.
Listen to and read German media. This will not only help you get used to where and how relative and interrogative pronouns are used but is also a good vocabulary-building exercise.