German Relative Clauses: Using 'wo' for Places and 'dessen/deren' for Possession
Learn to form German relative clauses with 'wo' (where) for places and 'dessen/deren' (whose) for possession, with clear examples and practice.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In German, relative clauses let you add information about a noun. You already know 'der, die, das' and 'welcher' as relative pronouns for people and things. But when you talk about a place, German often uses 'wo' (where) instead of a preposition + relative pronoun. And when you want to say 'whose', you use 'dessen' (masculine/neuter) or 'deren' (feminine/plural). This lesson teaches you these two specific patterns so you can say things like 'Das Haus, wo ich aufgewachsen bin, ist klein' and 'Der Mann, dessen Auto kaputt ist, wartet.'
By the end, you can…
- use 'wo' to mean 'where' in German relative clauses about places.
- use 'dessen' and 'deren' to mean 'whose' in German relative clauses.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Das Haus, wo ich aufgewachsen bin, ist klein.
The house where I grew up is small.
dahs hows, voh ikh OWF-guh-vahk-sn bin, ist klayn
'wo' replaces 'in dem' or 'in der' for places. The verb 'bin' goes to the end of the relative clause.
Die Stadt, wo wir leben, ist sehr schön.
The city where we live is very beautiful.
dee shtaht, voh veer LAY-ben, ist zair shurn
Use 'wo' for cities, countries, and other locations. 'leben' is at the end.
Der Mann, dessen Auto kaputt ist, wartet.
The man whose car is broken is waiting.
dair mahn, DES-sn OW-toh kah-POOT ist, VAR-tet
'dessen' refers to a masculine or neuter noun (here 'der Mann'). It shows possession.
Die Frau, deren Kinder in Berlin wohnen, ist meine Tante.
The woman whose children live in Berlin is my aunt.
dee frow, DAI-ren KIN-der in bair-LEEN VOH-nen, ist MY-nuh TAHN-tuh
'deren' refers to a feminine noun (here 'die Frau') or plural. It shows possession.
Das ist das Dorf, wo meine Großeltern wohnen.
That is the village where my grandparents live.
dahs ist dahs dorf, voh MY-nuh GROHS-el-tern VOH-nen
'wo' is very common for villages and small places. The verb 'wohnen' is at the end.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For places, use 'wo' as the relative pronoun. The conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause. Example: 'Das ist die Schule, wo ich gelernt habe.' (That is the school where I learned.) For possession, use 'dessen' (for masculine/neuter antecedent) or 'deren' (for feminine/plural antecedent). The verb still goes to the end. Example: 'Der Lehrer, dessen Buch ich habe, ist nett.' (The teacher whose book I have is nice.) 'Die Lehrerin, deren Buch ich habe, ist nett.' (The teacher [f] whose book I have is nice.)
When to use it
Use 'wo' when the relative clause refers to a place (city, country, house, etc.) and you would otherwise need a preposition like 'in' or 'an'. It is especially common in spoken German. In formal writing, you might see 'in dem' or 'in der' instead, but 'wo' is perfectly standard. Use 'dessen/deren' when you want to express possession by the antecedent. The form depends on the gender and number of the antecedent, not the possessed noun. For example: 'der Mann, dessen Auto' (the man whose car), 'die Frau, deren Auto' (the woman whose car), 'die Kinder, deren Auto' (the children whose car).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Kennst du das Café, wo wir uns immer treffen?
Do you know the café where we always meet?kenst doo dahs kah-FAY, voh veer uns IM-mer TREF-enJa, das ist das Café, dessen Kuchen so lecker ist.
Yes, that is the café whose cake is so delicious.yah, dahs ist dahs kah-FAY, DES-sn KOO-khen zoh LEK-er istUnd die Frau, deren Hund wir gestern gesehen haben, wohnt dort.
And the woman whose dog we saw yesterday lives there.unt dee frow, DAI-ren hunt veer GES-tern guh-ZAY-en HAH-ben, vohnt dortAch, das ist die Frau, die immer so freundlich grüßt.
Oh, that is the woman who always greets so friendly.akh, dahs ist dee frow, dee IM-mer zoh FROYNT-likh greestA little context goes a long way
In everyday German, 'wo' is extremely common for places, even where formal grammar might prefer 'in dem' or 'in der'. In Switzerland and parts of southern Germany, you may also hear 'wo' used for people, but this is nonstandard in written German. 'Dessen/deren' are standard in both speech and writing, but in casual conversation, people sometimes avoid them by rephrasing, e.g., 'Der Mann, dem sein Auto kaputt ist' (colloquial, not standard). Stick to 'dessen/deren' for correct usage.
One thing to watch for
Using 'wer' or 'was' instead of 'wo' for places, e.g., 'Das Haus, wer ich aufgewachsen bin.'
Try this instead: 'wer' means 'who' and 'was' means 'what'. For places, use 'wo': 'Das Haus, wo ich aufgewachsen bin.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Combine: 'Das ist der Park. Ich spiele dort.' Use a relative clause with 'wo'.
Show a sample answer
Das ist der Park, wo ich spiele.
'wo' replaces 'dort' and the verb 'spiele' goes to the end. Alternatively, 'in dem ich spiele' is possible but less common in speech.
2Combine: 'Die Frau ist meine Nachbarin. Ihr Auto ist rot.' Use 'deren'.
Show a sample answer
Die Frau, deren Auto rot ist, ist meine Nachbarin.
'deren' refers to 'die Frau' (feminine). The verb 'ist' goes to the end of the relative clause.
3Fill in: 'Der Student, ____ Vater Arzt ist, lernt Medizin.'
Show a sample answer
dessen
'Der Student' is masculine, so use 'dessen'. The clause means 'The student whose father is a doctor studies medicine.'
Use 'wo' for places in relative clauses, and 'dessen/deren' for possession. Always put the conjugated verb at the end of the relative clause.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s German into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr