B1-63 · Use was after alles, nichts and etwas
The music scene
Talk about bands, festivals and favourite genres with relative clauses that start with was after alles, nichts, etwas and das Beste.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
alles, was …
After alles, vieles, nichts and etwas, a relative clause starts with was: Das ist alles, was ich weiß. The verb goes to the end of the clause, as in every relative clause. This chapter follows two friends at an invented summer festival.
Alles, was die Band spielt, klingt fantastisch.
Everything the band plays sounds fantastic.
Auf dem Festival gibt es alles, was Fans brauchen.
At the festival there is everything fans need.
Lena erzählt mir alles, was auf der Bühne passiert ist.
Lena tells me everything that happened on stage.
Vieles, was im Radio läuft, finde ich langweilig.
I find a lot of what is on the radio boring.
Das Festival means the festival, die Band the band and die Bühne the stage. In standard German, write alles, was, not alles, das.
02
nichts, was and etwas, was
Nichts and etwas also take was: Es gibt nichts, was mir besser gefällt. You may sometimes hear etwas, das, but etwas, was is very common and always correct. The verb still goes to the end.
Es gibt nichts, was ich lieber höre als Jazz.
There is nothing I would rather listen to than jazz.
Gibt es etwas, was du nicht magst?
Is there anything you don't like?
Die Band spielt etwas, was ich noch nie gehört habe.
The band is playing something I have never heard before.
Nichts, was sie singt, ist neu.
Nothing she sings is new.
Das Genre means the genre; Rock, Pop, Jazz and Hip-Hop are also used in German. Nichts, was means nothing that, and etwas, was means something that.
03
das Beste, was …
Was also follows a superlative used as a noun, such as das Beste or das Schönste, and words like das Einzige, das Erste and das Letzte: Das war das Beste, was ich je gehört habe.
Das war das Beste, was ich je auf einem Festival gesehen habe.
That was the best thing I have ever seen at a festival.
Das Einzige, was fehlt, ist besseres Wetter.
The only thing missing is better weather.
Das Schönste, was ich kenne, ist Musik unter freiem Himmel.
The most beautiful thing I know is music in the open air.
Das Letzte, was die Band spielt, ist ihr bekanntestes Lied.
The last thing the band plays is their best-known song.
Das Einzige means the only thing, das Erste the first thing and das Letzte the last thing. Der Auftritt is the performance or gig.
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Check what you remember with 12 short questions.
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