Dessen, Deren, Denen & Co. – The Mysterious Relative Pronouns at C1 Level
The bottom line: If you want to write and speak elegantly at C1 level, there’s no way around dessen, deren, and denen. These three little words often separate the advanced learners from those whose German really sounds native. In this post, we’ll look systematically at when to use which pronoun — with plenty of examples from everyday life, the workplace, and even literature.
1. The Big Overview Table
Before we dive into the details, here is the complete declension table of the relative pronouns. Memorize this table carefully — it’s the foundation for everything else.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | denen |
| Genitive | dessen | deren | dessen | deren |
- dessen → Genitive singular (masculine & neuter)
- deren → Genitive singular feminine and Genitive plural
- denen → Dative plural
2. “Dessen” – the Masculine and Neuter Genitive
Dessen replaces a genitive that refers to a masculine or neuter noun in the singular. It’s typically used to express belonging or possession — in other words, where in English you would say “whose.”
Der Kollege, dessen Büro neben meinem liegt, ist heute krank.
The colleague whose office is next to mine is sick today.
Das Kind, dessen Eltern in München arbeiten, geht in den Kindergarten in Augsburg.
The child whose parents work in Munich goes to kindergarten in Augsburg.
Mein Nachbar, dessen Hund jeden Morgen bellt, hat sich endlich entschuldigt.
My neighbor, whose dog barks every morning, has finally apologized.
Important: No article after “dessen”!
A common mistake among C1 learners: After dessen and deren, there is never an article. The noun stands “bare.”
❌ Der Mann, dessen der Sohn studiert…
✅ Der Mann, dessen Sohn studiert, ist mein Onkel.
3. “Deren” – Feminine Singular and Plural
Deren has a dual role: it’s both the genitive singular feminine and the genitive plural for all genders. In the plural, it’s especially useful because it offers an elegant alternative to clunky constructions.
Genitive Singular Feminine:
Die Politikerin, deren Rede gestern für Aufsehen sorgte, tritt morgen zurück.
The politician whose speech caused a stir yesterday is resigning tomorrow.
Meine Schwester, deren Tochter in Berlin lebt, besucht uns nächste Woche.
My sister, whose daughter lives in Berlin, is visiting us next week.
Die Firma, deren Hauptsitz in Stuttgart ist, expandiert nach Asien.
The company whose headquarters is in Stuttgart is expanding to Asia.
Genitive Plural:
Die Studenten, deren Noten ausgezeichnet sind, bekommen ein Stipendium.
The students whose grades are excellent get a scholarship.
Die Bücher, deren Autoren bereits verstorben sind, sind oft günstiger.
Books whose authors have already passed away are often cheaper.
4. “Denen” – the Dative Plural
Denen is the dative plural of the relative pronoun and is used when the verb or preposition in the relative clause requires the dative — and the sentence refers to multiple people or things.
Die Kinder, denen ich das Buch gegeben habe, sind sehr begeistert.
The children to whom I gave the book are very enthusiastic.
Die Kollegen, mit denen ich an dem Projekt arbeite, sind sehr kompetent.
The colleagues with whom I’m working on the project are very competent.
Das sind die Freunde, von denen ich dir erzählt habe.
These are the friends I told you about.
Es gibt viele Probleme, denen wir uns stellen müssen.
There are many problems we have to face.
5. “Dessen” vs. “seines” / “Deren” vs. “ihrer” – the Crucial Difference
This is where it gets interesting! When do you use dessen and when do you use the possessive pronoun sein/ihr? Take a look at these two sentences:
🔸 Peter hat einen Bruder. Sein Bruder wohnt in Köln.
🔸 Peter hat einen Bruder. Dessen Bruder wohnt in Köln.
The difference:
- Sein Bruder = Peter’s brother (the original subject)
- Dessen Bruder = the brother of the brother (a different person!)
Dessen/deren always refer to the most recently mentioned person, while sein/ihr refer to the original subject. This becomes especially important in ambiguous sentences:
Markus traf Thomas und dessen Frau. → Markus met Thomas and Thomas’s wife.
Markus traf Thomas und seine Frau. → Markus met Thomas and Markus’s (own) wife.
6. Combined with Prepositions
Especially at C1 level, you’ll often need to combine relative pronouns with prepositions. The preposition goes before the relative pronoun and determines its case.
| Preposition | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mit, von, zu, bei, nach, aus | Dative → denen (pl.) | Die Leute, von denen ich gesprochen habe… |
| für, durch, ohne, gegen, um | Accusative → den/die/das/die | Die Freunde, für die ich das gemacht habe… |
| (an)statt, trotz, während, wegen | Genitive → dessen/deren | Die Maßnahmen, trotz deren Einführung… |
Das ist die Frau, auf deren Hilfe ich angewiesen bin.
That’s the woman whose help I depend on.
Die Firma, in deren Auftrag wir arbeiten, ist sehr zufrieden.
The company on whose behalf we work is very satisfied.
Der Professor, von dessen Vorlesungen alle schwärmen, geht in den Ruhestand.
The professor whose lectures everyone raves about is retiring.
7. “Derer” – the Literary Variant
A real C1 treat: derer is an alternative genitive form (plural and sometimes feminine singular) that mainly appears in elevated language — specifically when the relative pronoun refers to something that follows, not something that precedes it.
🔸 Die Studenten, deren Noten gut waren, bekamen Stipendien.
(Reference backward — “deren” refers to “Studenten”)
🔸 Wir gedenken derer, die im Krieg gefallen sind.
(Reference forward — “derer” points to the following description)
Er erinnerte sich derer, die ihm in schweren Zeiten geholfen hatten.
He remembered those who had helped him in difficult times.
Das Schicksal derer, die ihre Heimat verlassen müssen, geht uns alle an.
The fate of those who have to leave their homeland concerns us all.
8. Common Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them
Mistake 1: Article after dessen/deren
❌ Der Mann, dessen der Sohn… ✅ Der Mann, dessen Sohn…
Mistake 2: Wrong gender of the reference noun
❌ Die Frau, dessen Tasche… ✅ Die Frau, deren Tasche…
Mistake 3: “Denen” instead of “deren” in the genitive plural
❌ Die Kinder, denen Eltern arbeiten… ✅ Die Kinder, deren Eltern arbeiten…
Mistake 4: Forgetting the adjective ending after dessen/deren
Watch out: After dessen/deren, the adjective takes strong declension!
✅ Der Mann, dessen kleiner Sohn… (not: dessen kleine Sohn)
9. Mini-Test: How Confident Are You?
Fill in the correct form (dessen, deren, denen, derer):
- Die Nachbarin, _______ Garten an unseren grenzt, ist sehr nett.
- Die Studenten, mit _______ ich gestern gesprochen habe, kommen aus Italien.
- Der Politiker, _______ Aussagen kontrovers diskutiert werden, ist heute im Fernsehen.
- Die Familien, _______ Kinder krank sind, brauchen Unterstützung.
- Wir gedenken _______ , die ihr Leben für die Freiheit gaben.
Answers: 1. deren | 2. denen | 3. dessen | 4. deren | 5. derer
10. Topic Vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Relativpronomen, – | relative pronoun |
| der Bezug, “-e | reference |
| das Bezugswort, “-er | antecedent |
| der Nebensatz, “-e | subordinate clause |
| der Genitiv | genitive case |
| sich beziehen auf (+ Akk.) | to refer to |
| verlangen (+ Akk.) | to require / demand |
| angewiesen sein auf (+ Akk.) | to depend on |
| gedenken (+ Gen.) | to commemorate |
| mehrdeutig | ambiguous |
Conclusion
Dessen, deren, and denen are not mere grammatical curiosities — they’re tools that let you formulate things precisely and elegantly at C1 level. My tip: every time you come across one of these forms in a text, write down the whole sentence. Over time, you’ll develop a natural feel for when to use them.
In the next post, we’ll look at how to form relative clauses with was and wo(-) — constructions like “alles, was…” or “der Ort, wo…”. Stay tuned! 🎯