German Genitive Relative Clauses: dessen vs. deren (B1)
Learn when to use dessen and deren in German relative clauses to express 'whose'.
To say whose in a German relative clause, you use a genitive relative pronoun. There are only two forms to remember at B1 level:
- dessen — when the antecedent (the noun the clause refers back to) is masculine or neuter (der / das).
- deren — when the antecedent is feminine or plural (die).
The most important rule: the relative pronoun agrees with the antecedent, not with the noun that follows it. In Der Mann, dessen Frau Ärztin ist, we use dessen because der Mann is masculine — even though Frau is feminine.
As in every German relative clause, the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause. The noun directly after dessen / deren loses its article, because the genitive pronoun already marks possession.
Examples
Grammatical analysisBase form derCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form MannCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build, dessen Frau Ärztin Grammatical analysisBase form seinPerson3rd person singular (er/sie/es)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build, wohnt nebenan.
The man whose wife is a doctor lives next door.
Die Kollegin, deren Auto kaputt Grammatical analysisBase form seinPerson3rd person singular (er/sie/es)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build, kommt zu Grammatical analysisBase form spätDegreePositiv (positive)Checked deterministically before build.
The colleague whose car is broken is late.
Common mistakes
The owner (der Mann) is masculine, so use dessen, not deren.