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I have the following sentence:

Das Lagerfeuer, in dem ich meine Marshmallows brate, ist sehr heiß.

The campfire, in which I roast my marshmallows, is very hot.

Am I correct in saying that the article used in this relative clause is "dem" as the Lagerfeuer is receiving the action of me roasting the marshmellows?

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  • I changed the title, for the question is not, as the title had previously stated, about the preposition in but about the word dem. – Björn Friedrich Jan 30 '19 at 18:34
  • The question is about the case that is used with the two-way preposition in. I suggest to revert that change. – Carsten S Jan 30 '19 at 19:08
  • Das steht aber mit keinem Wort im Text. Es wird gefragt, ob man etwas auf bestimmte Art sagen kann. Das kann man, wie ich in meiner Antwort erläutert habe, nicht. – Björn Friedrich Jan 30 '19 at 19:28
  • Es kann natürlich auch sein, dass die Frage einfach schwammig formuliert wurde. Wenn man nämlich davon ausgeht, dass Artikel mit Demonstrativpronomen verwechselt wurde und dass für den OP das und dem zwei verschiedene Artikel anstatt zwei verschiedene Deklinationsformen desselben Artikels sind, dann kann man die Frage auch so interpretieren: "Am I correct in saying that the case of the demonstrative pronoun 'dem' ..." Und dann wäre deutlich, dass es hier um den Fall geht. – Björn Friedrich Jan 30 '19 at 19:40
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Yes. You ask Where do I roast my marshmallows? answer: in dem Lagerfeuer (dative).

Also:
Ich brate meine Marshmallows in dem Lagerfeuer, das sehr heiß ist. (and not in another one which is not so hot).
Ich brate meine Mashmallows im Lagerfeuer. (general statement).

(I guess its clearer in these cases where no relative sentence is involved, but the way it works here is the same as above.)

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  • So it’s dative because you ask where and not whither? – Carsten S Jan 30 '19 at 19:03
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    @CarstenS: yes. – Stef Jan 30 '19 at 20:00
  • The fire is not receiving the action. It is simply the place of action. – RHa Jan 31 '19 at 10:33
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Das Lagerfeuer, in dem ich meine Marshmallows brate, ist sehr heiß.

Quote: "Am I correct in saying that the article used in this relative clause is 'dem' ...?"

Not exactly. Here, dem is not an article but a relative pronoun. It indicates that the content of the relative clause (Marshmellows braten) is referred back to the last noun in the preceding clause (Lagerfeuer). It is in dative case (dem instead of das), because the Lagerfeuer is the location where the action of roasting takes place.

Notice that the noun referred to does not need to be the subject. It can also be an object, as in

Ich(subject) fotografiere das Lagerfeuer(object), in dem ich meine Marshmellows brate.

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