Putting it in the simplest possible terms, a relative pronoun is a specific word in a sentence that has a relative clause. It's much easier to understand when you see an example:
The book that I read is quite old.
This sentence is dependent upon "that I read" because without these words, it would not be clear which book is meant. The word "that" is the relative pronoun in the sentence.
In the German language, the relative pronoun is dependent upon the gender of the subject noun:
Das Buch, das ich gelesen habe, ist ganz alt.
Der Mann, den ich gesehen habe, war ganz alt.
Die Frau, die ich gesehen habe, war ganz alt.
As you can see, the definite articles in the nominative case must take on the accusative case as relative pronouns: das/das, der/den, die/die.
But in the case of neuter nominatives, the German word was (usually translated as "what") is also used as a relative pronoun. The use of was as a relative pronoun is generally restricted to two usages, one of which is for neuter substantivized superlatives (nouns based upon adjectives), such as das Beste or das Schönste:
Das Schönste, was ich gelesen habe, war ein Buch von Goethe.
The German word was is also used as a relative pronoun with neuter demonstrative and indefinite pronouns, such as das, dasjenige, dasselbe; alles, einiges, nichts, vieles, manches, weniges, etwas, and so forth.
Das, was Sie hören, ist Musik von Mozart.
Es gibt einiges, was ich noch lernen sollte.
It is incorrect to use the relative pronoun das in the three examples above.
Further Learning
Here are some examples featuring relative pronouns on Yabla German. See if you can fill in the missing relative pronoun with either das or was:
Gab's etwas, nicht so gut war?
Was there something that wasn't so good?
Caption 30, Deutschkurs in Tübingen - Weil oder obwohl? - Part 2
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Das Mädchen, am Spielfeldrand niedlich zu den Jungs hinsah...
The girl who, on the edge of the playing field, looked sweetly at the boys
Captions 2-3, Olli Schulz - Spielerfrau
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Als wäre das Leben, hier einmal war, verbraucht.
As if the life that once was here were used up
Caption 8, Christina Stürmer - Millionen Lichter
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Er ärgert sich auch über manches, über ihn geschrieben wird.
he also gets angry about some of what is written about him.
Caption 19, Thomas D - Ärgernisse
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Aspirin ist ein Medikament, ich nehme, wenn ich Kopfschmerzen habe.
Aspirin is a medication that I take if I have a headache.
Captions 13-14, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz - Part 16
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Das ist das Beste, es gibt auf der Welt.
That's the best thing that there is in the world
Caption 36, Monsters of Liedermaching - Ein Pferd
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Milch ist ein Getränk, ich nicht mag.
Milk is a drink that I do not like.
Caption 29, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz - Part 16
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Alles, mit Kommunikation und Sprache zu tun hat.
Everything that has to do with communication and language.
Caption 26, Anja Polzer - Interview - Part 1
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Deinen Namen zu nennen ist wohl das Schönste, ich sage.
Naming your name is absolutely the most beautiful thing that I say
Caption 35, Xavier Naidoo - Ich kenne nichts (das so schön ist wie du)
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Es gibt am Flughafen wohl nichts, es nicht gibt.
Indeed, there's nothing that you won't find at the airport.
Caption 42, Flugreisen - Was mache ich, wenn...
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Click on the video links to see if your choices were correct!
Don't feel bad if this seems hard—even native speakers sometimes get it wrong by accident or as slang usage. The full title of the song above by Xavier Naidoo is "Ich kenne nichts (das so schön ist wie du)." According to grammar rules, the das should have been was. It's also a common mistake among native speakers to say or write things like Das Buch, was ich gelesen habe and Das Buch, dass ich gelesen habe. Luckily, we now know the correct way to write it!
Have you noticed that there is not only the verb hören in German, but also anhören and zuhören? Unfortunately, the difference between these three can’t exactly be equated with the difference between “to listen” and “to hear” in English. Let’s try to get to the bottom of how each one is used.
Hören without any prefixes can actually be translated as both “to hear” and “to listen,” depending on the context.
Hört ihr es? Mein Wasser fängt gerade an zu kochen.
Do you hear it? My water is just starting to boil.
Caption 35, Cannelloni - mit Jenny - Part 1
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Das haben wohl schon so einige Kinder von ihren Eltern zu hören bekommen.
Quite a few children have gotten to hear that from their parents.
Caption 2, Kochhaus Berlin - Kochen mit Kindern
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OK, ich höre. Wer beginnt?
OK, I am listening. Who will begin?
Caption 26, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz - Part 16
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Zuhören is used to describe listening intently or paying attention.
Du musst genau zuhören, was gesprochen wird,
You have to listen carefully to what is said,
Caption 39, German Intro - Cettina
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„Und nun hör zu:" "Der Sommer ist warm und kurz."
"And now listen up. "Summer is warm and short."
Captions 29-30, Piggeldy und Frederick - Sommer
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Sich etwas anhören describes listening to something specific that requires some time, for example, a song or an album. This is a bit confusing as hören is also used to talk about listening to music. If you understand the difference between sehen and sich etwas ansehen, this may help you with the distinction between hören and sich etwas anhören. Perhaps it is not unlike "to have a good look" or "to have a listen."
Wir möchten uns ein bisschen von seiner Lebensgeschichte anhören.
We would like to hear a bit about his life story.
Caption 4, Dieter Kränzlein - Bildhauer - Part 1
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Und was erwartet uns, wenn wir uns das Album anhören?
And what awaits us [can we expect] when we listen to the album?
Caption 13, Sons of Sounds - Open-Air in Karlsruhe
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At the same time, sich anhören is also used to talk about something (for example, an idea or suggestion) that “sounds good” or “sounds bad.” Take a look at the structures below:
OK, das hört sich gut an. Ich komme gerne mit.
OK, that sounds good. I'll gladly come along.
Caption 44, Diane erklärt - Fragewörter
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Im Präteritum würde sich das so anhören.
In the preterite [narrative past in German], it would sound like this.
Caption 31, Konjugation - Das Verb „mögen“
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Now for a false friend alert: The verb überhören does not mean "to overhear" in the English sense. It actually means to ignore or miss something one has heard.
Further Learning
Search Yabla German for more examples of these verbs to develop your understanding of how they are used. Next week, we’ll look at a few words that contain the word hören, but have little to do with listening or hearing.
It has been a somewhat temperamental summer in Germany, but there have certainly already been a number of hot days. Germans flock to rivers, pools, and lakes to swim, not to mention the North Sea and the Baltic Sea! Let's look at the German words for various bodies of water.
Der See ist fast einhundertneunzig Meter tief.
The lake is almost one hundred ninety meters deep.
Caption 5, Alpenseen - Kühle Schönheiten - Part 6
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Achtung: Der See means "the lake," but die See means "the sea." Das Meer is also a common word for "the sea."
Fünf kleine Pinguine schwimmen durch das Meer.
Five little penguins are swimming through the sea.
Caption 22, Kinderlieder zum Mitsingen - Fünf Pinguine
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Like in English, an ocean differs from a sea:
Mein Goldfisch, der heißt Friedolin und wohnt im Ozean.
My goldfish, he's called Friedolin and lives in the ocean.
Caption 25, Pänke - Friedolin
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There are some rivers in Germany that are approved for swimming, but if not you can always go to a swimming pool. In the summer, outdoor pools (Freibäder) are particularly popular.
Der Neckar ist ein Fluss, der durch Tübingen fließt.
The Neckar is a river that flows through Tübingen.
Caption 16, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz
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Das ist quasi so ein offener Bereich mit einem Schwimmbad...
That is, so to speak, an open area with a swimming pool...
Caption 25, Reisen - Dalís Haus
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Ponds and streams are not as popular for swimming, but we'll include them for the sake of vocabulary expansion!
Es war der Teich und am Rand stand die violette Blume.
It was the pond and at the edge stood the violet flower.
Caption 51, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Jorinde und Joringel
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Bald ist der Bach überschwemmt mit Eiern.
Soon the stream is inundated with eggs.
Caption 25, Alpenseen - Kühle Schönheiten - Part 2
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Further Learning
Make sure you have memorized the gender of these vocabulary words. What do you think are the genders of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea? You can also start learning the German names for famous bodies of water. Can you guess what das Mittelmeer and das Rote Meer are? Look them up on Yabla German!
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