A relative clause starts with a relative pronoun or adverb that refers to someone or something in the main clause. For example: "That is the man who lives next door" or "The song that I used to sing."
A relative clause has the same word order as a subordinate clause.
in a relative clause, all verbs are grouped at the end.
We have already encountered this when we discussed the subordinate clause.
There is difference with the subordinate clause. In a subordinate clause, the conjunction glues the clauses together but we can see it as a separate part that does not belong to either clause.
In a relative clause, the 'conjunction' is an integral part of the clause. It can serve, for example, as a subject, a direct object, or an indication of time.
'Normal' main clause:
In the relative clause, we find PLACE at the beginning because this is where 'waar' (where) refers to.
The rest of the word order stays the same:
| main clause
| PLACE
| subject
| -
| verbs
|
| Dat is de stad
| waar
| hij
| -
| heeft gewoond
|
| That is the city where he has lived.
|
We can also make the relative clause refer to the man instead of the city. This time, the relative clause begins with the subject:
| main clause
| subject
| -
| PLACE
| verbs
|
| Dat is de man
| die
| -
| in Caïro
| heeft gewoond
|
| That is the man who has lived in Cairo.
|
'Normal' main clause:
| FF
| TIME
| OV
|
| Het huis wordt
| deze week
| geschilderd
|
| The house will be painted this week.
|
The relative clause begins with the subject (dat).
| main clause
| subject
| -
| TIME
| verbs
|
| Ik woon in het huis
| dat
| -
| deze week
| geschilderd wordt.
|
| I live in the house that will be painted this week.
|
If we make the relative clause refer to the moment the house is going to be renovated, the clause will begin with TIME. Again, the rest of the word order remains the same.
| main clause
| TIME
| subject
| -
| verbs
|
| Ik weet niet
| wanneer
| het huis
| --
| geschilderd wordt.
|
| I do not know when the house will be painted.
|
'Normal' main clause:
| We have bought a book for her.
|
If we turn this into a sentence with a relative clause, we can have the relative clause refer to the direct object (the book) or the indirect object (her). Let us do both.
The relative clause begins with a direct object:
| main clause
| DIROB
| subject
| INDOB
| verbs
|
| Dit is het boek
| dat
| wij
| voor haar
| hebben gekocht
|
| That is the book that we bought for her.
|
The relative clause begins with an indirect object:
| main clause
| INDOB
| subject
| DIROB
| verbs
|
| Dat is het meisje
| voor wie
| we
| het boek
| hebben gekocht
|
| That is the girl for whom we bought the book.
|
Normal main clause:
| (lit:) I have worked there with much pleasure.
|
If we let the relative clause refer to 'met veel plezier' (with much pleasure, we do not say met wat but waarmee.
This has something to do with the pronominal adverb that we need if a pronoun (wat in this case) is preceded by a preposition (met). To make things more complicated, where most prepositions remain unchanged, met always turns into mee when we attach it to a pronominal adverb.
| main clause
| MANNER
| subject
| EHD
| verbs
|
| Dit is het gevoel
| waarmee
| ik
| er
| heb gewerkt
|
| (lit:) That is the feeling with which I worked there.
|
Normal main clause:
| FF
| DIROB
| OV
|
| Ik wil
| mijn blauwe spijkerbroek
| dragen
|
| I want to wear my blue jeans.
|
The relative clause can also be placed inside the main clause:
| main clause
| DIROB
| subject
| --
| verbs
| main clause
|
| Ik kan de broek
| die
| ik
| --
| wil dragen
| niet vinden
|
| I cannot find the trousers that I want to wear.
|
Although it is possible to nest a relative clause inside a main clause, it is recommended you only do this with short relative clauses. To keep the sentence legible, longer ones should be placed after the main clause.
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