Focus Construction With Es Ist

Level 5

The German cleft sentence (Spaltsatz) uses the structure Es + sein + [Focus] + [Relative Clause] to emphasize one specific piece of information, often to correct a misunderstanding.

How It Works

In German, the Spaltsatz (cleft sentence) is used to isolate a constituent to give it maximum prominence. While English uses 'It is...' for many types of emphasis, German usually prefers simple fronting or pitch accent. The cleft is reserved for contrastive focus—when you want to say 'It was X (and not Y)'.

1. Agreement Rules:
The copula verb sein must agree in number and person with the focused element. If the focus is plural, the verb is plural:

  • Es ist der Hund... (It is the dog...)
  • Es sind die Hunde... (It are the dogs...)

2. Personal Pronouns:
When focusing on a personal pronoun, German typically uses an 'inverted' structure rather than starting with Es:

  • Ich bin es, der das gesagt hat. (I am it/the one who said that.)

3. The Relative Clause:
The second part is a relative clause. The relative pronoun must agree in gender and number with the focused element, while its case is determined by its function within the sub-clause.

4. Verb Agreement in the Relative Clause:
If the focus is a personal pronoun, the verb in the relative clause usually defaults to the 3rd person singular (e.g., Ich bin es, der das macht). However, if the pronoun is repeated after the relative pronoun for emphasis, the verb must agree with that pronoun (e.g., Ich bin es, der ich das mache).

Examples (5)

  1. Es war mein Bruder, den sie gestern im Kino gesehen haben.

    It was my brother whom they saw at the cinema yesterday (not me).

    Word by Word: It was my brother, whom they yesterday in-the cinema seen have.

    Here, 'mein Bruder' is the focus. The relative pronoun 'den' is in the accusative case because he is the object of the verb 'sehen' in the relative clause.

  2. Es sind die kleinen Dinge, die den Unterschied machen.

    It is the little things that make the difference.

    Word by Word: It are the small things, which the difference make.

    Notice that 'sind' is plural to agree with 'die kleinen Dinge'. In English, we would still use 'It is'.

  3. Ich bin es, der die Verantwortung trägt.

    It is I who bears the responsibility.

    Word by Word: I am it, who the responsibility bears.

    When focusing on a pronoun like 'ich', German prefers 'Ich bin es'. The verb 'trägt' defaults to the 3rd person singular.

  4. Du bist es, der du mir immer hilfst.

    It is you who always helps me.

    Word by Word: You are it, who you me always help.

    If the personal pronoun is repeated after the relative pronoun ('der du'), the verb 'hilfst' agrees with that pronoun (2nd person singular).

  5. Es war der Wein, der so teuer war, nicht das Essen.

    It was the wine that was so expensive, not the food.

    Word by Word: It was the wine, which so expensive was, not the food.

    This demonstrates contrastive focus, explicitly correcting a potential misunderstanding about what was expensive.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ist' for plural focused elements.

    Es ist meine Eltern, die kommen.
    Es sind meine Eltern, die kommen.

    In German, the verb 'sein' must agree with the noun that follows it in this construction. Since 'Eltern' is plural, you must use 'sind'.

  • Using 'dass' instead of a relative pronoun.

    Es war der Mann, dass ich sah.
    Es war der Mann, den ich sah.

    Learners often translate the English 'It was the man that...' literally. In German, you must use a relative pronoun (der/die/das) that matches the gender and case requirements.

  • Overusing clefts for simple emphasis.

    Es ist morgen, dass wir fahren.
    Morgen fahren wir.

    German speakers rarely use clefts for time or simple emphasis. Moving the word to the front (Vorfeld) is much more natural.

How It Connects

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Focus Construction With Es IstLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand focus constructions with 'Es ist', you must first be comfortable with how relative clauses are formed in German, as the construction essentially splits a sentence into an introductory 'Es ist' phrase followed by a relative clause. You also need to know the verb 'sein' to match the subject being emphasized.

Words in This Pattern

sein