A relative clause with ‘whose’ needs the genitive relative pronoun: dessen or deren. The choice depends on the noun before the comma, not the one after it.
To say whose in a relative clause, German uses the genitive relative pronouns. Look at the noun the clause refers back to (the antecedent): its gender and number decide the form.
| Antecedent | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | dessen | der Kollege, dessen Frau aus Kerala kommt |
| neuter | dessen | das Haus, dessen Dach kaputt ist |
| feminine | deren | die Firma, deren Chef ich kenne |
| plural | deren | die Nachbarn, deren Kinder laut sind |
The noun after dessen/deren does not matter for the choice: der Mann, dessen Tochter (masculine antecedent, feminine noun after it) and die Frau, deren Sohn (feminine antecedent, masculine noun after it). Like sein/ihr, the form depends on the owner; unlike sein/ihr, dessen and deren never take an ending. Think of them as ‘of whom/of which’ referring back.
dessen and deren replace the article, so the following noun has no article of its own. If there is an adjective, it takes the strong ending, as if there were no article at all:
The case of the following noun depends on its role in the relative clause: Der Student, dessen Laptop gestohlen wurde, … (Laptop is the subject: nominative) and Der Student, dessen Laptop ich repariert habe, … (Laptop is the object: accusative). Only the adjective ending shows this; dessen itself never changes.
If the relative clause needs a preposition, it stands before dessen/deren, at the very start of the clause. The preposition decides the case of the following noun:
The verb, as always in a relative clause, goes to the end.
dessen and deren can also act as demonstratives to avoid confusion: Priya traf ihre Freundin und deren Mann. Here deren Mann clearly means the friend's husband; ihren Mann could mean Priya's own husband. Do not confuse deren with derer, which means ‘of those’ and is followed by a relative clause: die Namen derer, die teilgenommen haben. In everyday speech many Germans avoid dessen/deren and use von dem or two sentences instead, but in writing, especially in reports and exams, the genitive forms are expected. A good habit: point at the antecedent before you choose. If the antecedent is a person, ask yourself whether you would say sein or ihr about it: sein leads to dessen, ihr leads to deren.
| Not quite | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Der Mann, deren Auto rot ist, wohnt hier. | Der Mann, dessen Auto rot ist, wohnt hier. | The antecedent der Mann is masculine, so you need dessen. |
| Das ist die Lehrerin, deren der Sohn in meiner Klasse ist. | Das ist die Lehrerin, deren Sohn in meiner Klasse ist. | There is no article after dessen or deren. |
| Der Autor, dessen neue Buch ich lese, … | Der Autor, dessen neues Buch ich lese, … | After dessen and deren adjectives take strong endings: neues Buch. |
| Die Firma, deren Chef ich mit gesprochen habe, … | Die Firma, mit deren Chef ich gesprochen habe, … | The preposition goes at the start of the relative clause, before deren. |
1. Das ist der Kollege, ___ Frau aus Kerala kommt.
2. Die Firma, ___ Chef ich kenne, sucht neue Leute.
3. Die Nachbarn, ___ Kinder so laut sind, ziehen aus.
4. Das Haus, ___ Dach kaputt ist, wird renoviert.
5. Der Arzt, ___ Praxis ich gehe, spricht Hindi.
6. Die Kollegin, ___ Hilfe ich sehr dankbar bin, geht in Rente.
7. Ich kenne eine Familie, deren ___ Sohn in Berlin studiert.
8. Der Student, ___ Laptop gestohlen wurde, ging zur Polizei.
Related grammar: Relative clauses in all cases, Relative pronouns wer and was, The genitive case, Adjective endings without an article.
Back to the grammar reference or to the B2 lessons.
Original practice questions written by the Desi European Tales editorial team; they are not the official exam questions. Checked 1 November 2026.
Related: German grammar reference · German B2 lessons · Relative clauses in all cases
