Was, free relatives and clear boundaries
After a general neuter expression, was is common: Alles, was du brauchst, liegt bereit; Das Wichtigste, was fehlt, ist ein Plan. To refer to the entire preceding statement: Der Termin fällt aus, was uns Zeit spart. The reference is the cancellation, not a particular noun. A prepositional relationship can require worüber or another appropriate wo(r)- form: Der Termin fällt aus, worüber sich niemand freut.
A free relative has no separate noun antecedent: Wer Hilfe braucht, kann mich anrufen. Case still belongs to each clause: Wem ich vertraue, dem gebe ich den Schlüssel. Wem follows vertrauen; dem follows geben.
German separates relative clauses with commas even when they identify which person is meant. For an inserted clause, close both sides: Die Mappe, die auf dem Tisch liegt, gehört mir. Do not omit the relative pronoun as English sometimes does.
Check the construction in context
Choose your answer before opening the explanation. Check the whole phrase as well as the form.
7. Refer to the whole event: Der Kurs beginnt später, __ mir gut passt.
was. What suits me is the later start as a whole, not a noun such as Kurs.
8. Complete both cases: __ ich vertraue, __ gebe ich den Schlüssel.
Wem ich vertraue, dem gebe ich den Schlüssel. Both verbs require a dative person here. In another construction the two cases could differ; neither is copied automatically.
Start with the topic overview
German relative clauses: pronouns, case and prepositions · Find another grammar topic
Questions about this topic
Must every relative clause refer to one preceding noun?
No. Was can refer to a whole preceding situation, and a free relative can lack a separate noun antecedent. Check each construction and its internal grammatical role.
Sources and further learning
- IDS: Relativsätze mit den Pronomen der, die, das
- IDS: Erweiterung von Nominalphrasen mit Attributsätzen
- Hueber: Akademie Deutsch — Relativsätze
- IDS: Relativsätze mit wer
- IDS: Relativ-Elemente
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