Left Dislocation

Level 5

Left Dislocation (Linksversetzung) is a common feature of spoken German used to highlight a specific topic. You place a noun or phrase at the very beginning, then immediately follow it with a matching pronoun (usually a 'd-pronoun' like der, die, das) before the rest of the sentence.

How It Works

In advanced spoken German, speakers often use Linksversetzung (Left Dislocation) to manage complex information or contrast different ideas.

1. The Structure:
The sentence is split into two parts: the 'Topic' (outside the clause) and the 'Resumptive Pronoun' (inside the clause). Crucially, the resumptive pronoun must occupy the Vorfeld (Position 1), immediately before the finite verb.
Example: Den Mann, den kenne ich. (The man, him I know.)

  • Topic: Den Mann (Accusative)
  • Resumptive: den (Accusative, in Position 1)

2. Case Matching and Pronoun Choice:
In 'true' Left Dislocation, the initial noun and the pronoun must match the case required by the verb (e.g., Accusative or Dative). This structure is typically characterized by d-pronouns (der, die, das, den, dem).

This differs from the 'Hanging Topic' (Nominativus Pendens), where the first noun is often Nominative regardless of the verb's requirement, and the resumptive element is frequently a personal pronoun (er, ihn, ihm).

3. Intonation and Pauses:
A key diagnostic for Left Dislocation is that it is prosodically integrated; there is typically no pause between the topic and the resumptive pronoun. In contrast, a Hanging Topic is prosodically detached, marked by a distinct pause and a falling intonation on the initial noun.

4. Function:
It is used to:

  • Re-introduce a topic: Bringing back something mentioned earlier in the conversation.
  • Contrast: 'As for my brother, he likes beer; but my sister, she prefers wine.'
  • Processing: Helping the listener focus on a long or complex subject before the verb appears.

5. Register:
This pattern is extremely common in informal speech. While it is stylistically marked for spoken discourse and generally avoided in formal written prose, it is a rule-governed and natural part of how Germans actually speak.

Examples (5)

  1. Meine Schwester, die wohnt jetzt in Berlin.

    My sister, she lives in Berlin now.

    Word by Word: My sister, she lives now in Berlin.

    A simple example where the subject 'Meine Schwester' is dislocated to the left and resumed by the pronoun 'die'.

  2. Den Film, den habe ich schon dreimal gesehen.

    That film, I've already seen it three times.

    Word by Word: The film (Acc.), that (Acc.) have I already three-times seen.

    Note the case matching: 'Film' is the direct object of 'sehen', so both the noun and the pronoun are in the accusative case.

  3. In diesem Restaurant, da haben wir letztes Jahr gegessen.

    In this restaurant, [there] we ate last year.

    Word by Word: In this restaurant, there have we last year eaten.

    Left dislocation can also work with prepositional phrases, often using 'da' (there) as the resumptive element.

  4. Dass er kommt, das hätte ich nie gedacht.

    That he would come, I would never have thought that.

    Word by Word: That he comes, that had I never thought.

    Entire subordinate clauses can be dislocated to the left, usually resumed by the neuter pronoun 'das'.

  5. Meinem Bruder, dem habe ich das Buch geschenkt.

    My brother, I gave the book to him.

    Word by Word: My brother (Dat.), him (Dat.) have I the book given.

    Here, the dative case is used for both the noun and the pronoun because 'schenken' requires a dative indirect object.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Nominative case for the topic when an oblique case (Acc/Dat) is required.

    Der Mann, den kenne ich nicht.
    Den Mann, den kenne ich nicht.

    In true Left Dislocation, the case must match. Using 'Der Mann' (Nom) with 'den' (Acc) is a different pattern called a 'Hanging Topic', which requires a longer pause and sounds less integrated.

  • Forgetting the resumptive pronoun.

    Meine Schwester, wohnt in Berlin.
    Meine Schwester, die wohnt in Berlin.

    Without the pronoun 'die', the sentence becomes a 'Verb Third' (V3) error. In German, if you pull the noun out, you must put a pronoun back in to satisfy the V2 rule.

  • Overusing the pattern in formal writing.

    Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, dieser Bericht, den habe ich verfasst...
    Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, diesen Bericht habe ich verfasst...

    Left dislocation is primarily a spoken phenomenon. In formal writing, use standard topicalization (moving the object to position 1) without the extra pronoun.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Left DislocationLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand left dislocation, you need to be comfortable with German's verb-second (V2) word order and how pronouns (specifically the d-series like 'der', 'die', 'das') are used to refer back to a noun. You also need to understand how cases function, as the pronoun's case is determined by its role within the main clause.