welcher

Which (Formal Relative)

Level 3

The relative pronoun welcher (welche, welches) is a formal synonym for der, die, and das. It is used in high-level writing to improve style, especially when the standard relative pronoun would sound repetitive (e.g., 'die, die...').

How It Works

In German, relative clauses are usually introduced by der, die, or das. However, in formal contexts like academic papers, legal documents, or literature, authors may use welcher.

1. Avoiding Cacophony (Bad Sounds)
The most common reason to use welcher is to avoid repeating the same word twice. For example:
Die Frau, die die Blumen kauft... (The woman who buys the flowers...)
To make this sound better, a writer might say:
Die Frau, welche die Blumen kauft...

2. Declension and Agreement
Like standard relative pronouns, welcher must agree with its antecedent (the noun it refers to) in gender and number. Its case is determined by its role in the relative clause:

  • Nominative: welcher (m), welche (f), welches (n), welche (pl)
  • Accusative: welchen (m), welche (f), welches (n), welche (pl)
  • Dative: welchem (m), welcher (f), welchem (n), welchen (pl)

3. Important Restrictions
There are three major cases where welcher cannot be used:

  • No Genitive: Welcher has no genitive form. You must use dessen or deren for "whose".
  • No Personal Pronouns: You cannot use welcher to refer to pronouns like ich or du. Use der/die/das instead.
  • No Clause Referencing: Welcher only refers to specific nouns. To refer to a whole preceding thought, use was.

4. Word Order
Just like all relative clauses, the conjugated verb must move to the very end of the clause as per relative clause word order.

Examples (4)

  1. Das ist die Methode, welche am besten funktioniert.

    That is the method which works best.

    Word by Word: That is the method, which at best works.

    Here, 'welche' is used instead of 'die' to avoid the repetition of 'die' (die Methode, die...).

  2. Es gibt Momente, in welchen man Geduld braucht.

    There are moments in which one needs patience.

    Word by Word: It gives moments, in which one patience needs.

    This uses the dative plural form 'welchen' after the preposition 'in'. It sounds very formal.

  3. Der Bericht, welchen ich gestern gelesen habe, war sehr lang.

    The report, which I read yesterday, was very long.

    Word by Word: The report, which I yesterday read have, was very long.

    This is the accusative masculine form 'welchen' because the report is the direct object of the verb 'gelesen habe'.

  4. Die Zeugen, welchen die Polizei nicht glaubte, schwiegen.

    The witnesses, whom the police did not believe, remained silent.

    Word by Word: The witnesses, whom the police not believed, remained silent.

    This uses the dative plural 'welchen' because the verb 'glauben' requires the dative case.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'welcher' in the genitive case.

    Der Mann, welches Auto kaputt ist, wartet hier.
    Der Mann, dessen Auto kaputt ist, wartet hier.

    There is no genitive form for 'welcher' as a relative pronoun. You must always use dessen (masculine/neuter) or deren (feminine/plural).

  • Using 'welcher' to refer to a personal pronoun.

    Ich, welcher aus Berlin komme, liebe die Stadt.
    Ich, der ich aus Berlin komme, liebe die Stadt.

    The relative pronoun 'welcher' cannot refer back to personal pronouns like 'ich', 'du', or 'wir'. In these cases, you must use the standard der, die, or das.

  • Using 'welcher' to refer to an entire clause.

    Er hat die Prüfung bestanden, welcher mich sehr freut.
    Er hat die Prüfung bestanden, was mich sehr freut.

    If you are referring back to a whole idea or a preceding sentence rather than a specific noun, you must use was instead of 'welcher'.

How It Connects

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

welcherLevel 3Which (Formal Relative)

Learn This First

To use 'welcher' as a relative pronoun, you must first understand the concept of relative clauses in German, specifically how the standard 'der/die/das' pronouns work. You also need to be familiar with the declension of 'welcher' (which matches the interrogative 'which') and the subordinate clause word order where the conjugated verb moves to the end.

Words in This Pattern

welcher