“Weil” and “dass”, or conjunctions in German – a simple explanation

I remember well the feeling of excitement when I went to Germany to visit my aunt for the first time. I thought my knowledge of German was already pretty good, and I was looking forward to testing it in practice. However, on the day of the trip, while talking to the conductor on the train to Cologne, my confidence plummeted.

During the ticket inspection, I wanted to say that I had bought a ticket, but… well, “but.” I had forgotten how to say “but” in German. It became awkward when I tried to put together a sentence without this small but crucial word. My ticket was on the phone, and the phone was out of order… At that moment I realized how important these inconspicuous conjunctions are. 

Now conjunctions and sentence formation in German are second nature to me. In this article I will share with you my knowledge and valuable tips to help you learn. Let’s get started!

Connecting the dots: what function do conjunctions have? 

A conjunction is a part of speech that will help you build elaborate statements and combine thoughts precisely. Its function is to combine sentences or expressions into a compound sentence and to specify the relationship between them. For example, conjunctions can be conjunctive (e.g. und – and), resultative (e.g. deswegen – therefore), causative (e.g. deshalb – therefore), etc.

To systematize and simplify the study, I divided German conjunctions into 4 groups. These are:

• coordinating conjunctions;
• punctuating conjunctions;
• subordinate conjunctions;
• binary conjunctions.

Which group a conjunct belongs to depends on how it “cooperates” with the verb. In German, taking care of proper word order is key to mastering conjunctions. You will learn all about this in the rest of the article. 

How to form sentences with conjunctions: Everything you need to know about sentence formation

The German language, compared to other languages, has extremely precise rules for sentence formation. This means that the order of words in a sentence matters.

There is a very good chance that you already know the most important rule about sentence formation in German:

Always put the verb second in a sentence! 

Now that you know this, there is still one more issue to be clarified: When you use a conjunction to join two sentences together, a compound sentence will be formed that contains several verbs. What then?

In order to avoid clutter (Germans, after all, are very fond of order), there are special rules that determine the formation of the sentence after the use of a conjunction. This can be simple formation, pivot formation, or final formation. See the example sentences:

German	English	word order
Ich mag Judith, aber sie mag mich nicht.	I like Judith, but she doesn’t like me.	straight array
Ich habe Hunger, deshalb koche ich etwas.	I’m hungry, so I’m cooking something.	punctuation array
Er liest viele Bücher, weil er Literatur studiert.	He reads a lot of books because he studies literary studies.	final array

Which formation will be used in the second part of the sentence – i.e. whether the verb will be at the end or in the middle of the sentence – depends on the conjunction. If you care about grammatical correctness, then you need to learn which conjunctions enforce which formation. How can you do this? 

Remember that knowledge of grammatical rules is only a convenience. It’s useful for understanding the subject matter, but it’s not how you’ll learn to speak a foreign language fluently. At Taalhammer, we want you to learn grammar not by memorizing rules, but by discovering patterns. This is a very natural way to learn a language (and the best secret of polyglots).

Therefore, if you want to speak German fluently and with confidence, you need to learn how words function in context. This means that conjunctions are best learned using full sentences. In our app you can learn using this very method. Sample sentences with conjunctions are waiting for you there, which you can repeat until you develop language reflexes. If you want to master conjunctions to perfection, be sure to try this method!

How to form a simple array in German, i.e. coordinating conjunctions (aber, denn, oder)

Coordinating conjunctions connect two sentences or phrases on an equal level (i.e., those having the same weight in the sentence). These conjunctions do not change the sentence formation. After them, you leave the verb in the second place, immediately after the subject (the doer of the action). This is known as the simple formation – a typical formation in announcing sentences. The structure resembles the sentence formation in English:

subject + verb + complement

Look at these examples:

Ich lese ein Buch. Mein Freund trinkt Kaffee. -> Ich lese ein Buch und mein Freund trinkt Kaffee.
I’m reading a book. My friend is drinking coffee. -> I’m reading a book and my friend is drinking coffee.

Note: If the subject in the second part of the sentence is the same, then it can be omitted, such as:

Sie kocht das Abendessen. Sie hört dabei Musik. -> Sie kocht das Abendessen und hört dabei Musik.
She cooks dinner. She listens to music. -> She cooks dinner while listening to music.

The conjunctions followed by a simple array are:

German	English
aber	but
denn	because
oder	or
sondern	but/rather
und	and

Place a comma before the conjunctions sondern, denn and aber.

aber

Ich möchte ins Restaurant gehen, aber ich habe keine Zeit.	I would like to go to a restaurant, but I don’t have time.
Du bist freundlich, aber manchmal etwas schüchtern.	You are friendly, but sometimes a bit shy.

denn

Wir fahren nach Hause, denn es wird bald dunkel.	We are going home, because it will soon get dark.
Ich kann nicht kommen, denn ich habe viel Arbeit.	I can’t come because I have a lot of work.

oder

Gehst du ins Kino oder bleibst du zu Hause?	Are you going to the movies or staying home?
Kommst du heute Abend oder morgen?	Are you coming tonight or tomorrow?

sondern

Ich gehe heute nicht ins Kino, sondern schaue einen Film zu Hause.	I do not go to the cinema but watch the movie at home.
Sie fährt nicht nach Paris, sondern nach London.	She is not going to Paris, but to London.

und

Ich lese ein Buch und mein Freund trinkt Kaffee.	I read a book and my boyfriend drinks coffee.
Sie kocht das Abendessen und hört dabei Musik.	She cooks dinner and listens to music.

How to form a punctuation array in German, or “punctuation conjunctions” (außerdem, dann, trotzdem)

There are also conjunctions that require the verb to be rearranged in the sentence, which is called pivot formation. In such cases, the verb comes first directly after the conjunct, and the doer of the action (the subject) comes immediately after it:

verb + subject + complement

Take a look at the example:

Es regnet stark. Wir bleiben zu Hause. -> Es regnet stark, deshalb bleiben wir zu Hause.
It’s raining heavily. We are staying at home. -> It’s raining heavily, so we’re staying at home.

The conjunctions that are followed by a pivot array are:

German	English
außerdem	also
dann	then
deshalb/darum/deswegen	therefore
sonst	otherwise
trotzdem	nevertheless

Always use a comma in front of them.

außerdem

Ich gehe heute ins Fitnessstudio, außerdem mache ich noch einen Spaziergang im Park.	I’m going to the gym today and I’m also going for a walk in the park.
Sie arbeitet im Büro, außerdem besucht sie regelmäßig Fortbildungskurse.	She works in the office and also regularly attends training courses.

dann

Ich mache die Hausaufgaben, dann sehe ich fern.	I do my homework, then I watch TV.
Wir besuchen das Museum, dann essen wir im Restaurant.	We visit the museum, then eat in the restaurant.

deshalb

Ich habe Hunger, deshalb koche ich etwas.	I’m hungry, so I’m cooking something.
Es ist Sonntag, deshalb bleiben die Geschäfte geschlossen.	It’s Sunday, so the stores are closed.

darum

Es regnet, darum bleibe ich zu Hause.	It’s raining, so I stay at home.
Er ist müde, darum geht er früh ins Bett.	He is tired, so he goes to bed early.

deswegen

Wir haben die Prüfung nicht bestanden, deswegen müssen wir sie wiederholen.	We didn’t pass the exam, so we have to take it again.
Es ist sehr laut hier, deswegen schließe ich das Fenster.	It’s very noisy here, so I’ll close the window.

sonst

Lerne fleißig, sonst bekommst du schlechte Noten.	Study hard, otherwise you’ll get bad grades.
Zieh eine Jacke an, sonst wirst du krank.	Put on a jacket or you’ll get sick.

trotzdem

Ich bin müde, trotzdem werde ich dem Kurs beitreten.	I’m tired, nevertheless I’m going to join the course.
Ich habe wenig Zeit, trotzdem helfe ich dir.	I don’t have much time, nevertheless I’ll help you.

How to form the final array in German, that is, subordinating conjunctions (weil, dass, ob)

The last group are subordinating conjunctions, after which the verb wanders to the end of the sentence – this is known as the final array. These conjunctions introduce subordinate clauses, i.e. clauses that provide additional information to the main sentence.

subject + complement + verb

The biggest difficulty with this group of conjunctions comes from the fact that you have to remember to put the conjugated verb at the end of the sentence. While this is not difficult, it sounds very unnatural to native English speakers, so it is common to forget it during conversation. Here are some examples:

Ich kann nicht zur Arbeit kommen. Ich bin krank. -> Ich kann nicht zur Arbeit kommen, weil ich krank bin.
I can’t come to work. I am ill. -> I can’t come to work because I’m ill.

Subordinating conjunctions are:

German	English
da	as
damit	to
dass	that
falls	if
ob	whether
obwohl	even though
weil	because
wenn	when

Always use a comma in front of them.

da

Ich bin bis 4 nachmittags erreichbar, da ich danach ein Meeting habe.	I am available until 4 in the afternoon as I have a meeting afterwards.
Wir sind ruhig, da alles in Ordnung ist.	We are calm as everything is in order.

damit

Ich lerne Deutsch, damit ich in Deutschland studieren kann.	I am learning German to be able to study in Germany.
Sie spart Geld, damit sie in den Urlaub fahren kann.	She saves money to be able to go on vacation.

dass

Ich weiß, dass er heute kommt.	I know that he’s coming today.
Ich hoffe, dass wir das Ziel erreichen.	I hope that we achieve our goal.

falls

Ruf mich an, falls du Hilfe brauchst.	Call me if you need help.
Ich nehme einen Regenschirm mit, falls es regnet.	I take an umbrella with me if it rains.

ob

Weißt du, ob der Zug pünktlich ist?	Do you know whether the train is on time?
Er überlegt, ob er ein neues Auto kaufen soll.	He is thinking whether he should buy a new car.

obwohl

Sie lacht viel, obwohl sie Probleme hat.	She laughs a lot, even though she has problems.
Sie fährt mit dem Fahrrad, obwohl der Weg lang ist.	She rides her bike, even though it’s a long way.

weil

Ich bin froh, weil ich meine Prüfung bestanden habe.	I’m happy because I passed my exam.
Sie macht Sport, weil sie fit bleiben möchte.	She does sport because she wants to stay fit.

wenn

Ich rufe dich an, wenn ich zu Hause bin.	I’ll call you when I get home.
Wenn es morgen sonnig ist, machen wir ein Picknick.	If it’s sunny tomorrow, we’ll have a picnic.

How to use two-part conjunctions in German: (entweder… oder, sowohl… als auch, weder … noch)

At the very end, as icing on the cake, I have left the two-part conjunctions:

German	English
je mehr… desto/umso…	the more… the more…
entweder… oder…	either… or…
zwar… aber…	wprawdzie … lecz
einerseits… andererseits…	on the one hand… on the other hand…
um… zu…	to
nicht nur… sondern auch…	not only… but also…
sowohl… als auch…	both… and…
weder… noch…	neither… nor…

These conjunctions are a little more difficult to learn because they consist of two parts that together form a single conjunction. The two parts of such a conjunction are dependent on each other and must occur together to function properly in a sentence. However, if you take a moment to learn them, you will see how much they will add variety to your speech – it will become more fluent and complex, making your level of German automatically seem more advanced. This can be a big plus if you are just preparing for a job interview or an exam.

I’ve prepared sample sentences for you that can come in handy for just such an occasion.

je mehr… desto/umso…

Je mehr ich lerne, desto/umso besser verstehe ich die Sprache.	The more I learn, the better I understand the language.
Je mehr ich übe, desto/umso sicherer werde ich im Umgang mit Kunden.	The more I practise, the more confident I become in dealing with customers.

entweder… oder…

Entweder ich erkläre das Thema detailliert, oder ich gebe eine kurze Zusammenfassung.	Either I explain the topic in detail, or I give a brief summary.
Entweder nehme ich an der Schulung teil, oder ich arbeite an meinem aktuellen Projekt.	I either take part in the training or work on my current project.

zwar… aber…

Ich habe zwar die Grundidee verstanden, aber einige Details sind mir noch unklar.	I have understood the basic idea, but some details are still unclear to me.
Ich habe zwar viele Aufgaben, aber ich organisiere mich gut.	I have a lot of tasks, but I organize myself well.

einerseits… andererseits…

Einerseits finde ich das Thema schwer, andererseits interessiert es mich sehr.	On the one hand, I find the subject difficult, but on the other, I’m very interested in it.
Einerseits will ich mich weiterbilden, andererseits brauche ich praktische Erfahrung.	On the one hand, I want to continue my education, but on the other, I need practical experience.

um… zu…

Ich lerne Deutsch, um in Deutschland zu studieren.	I am learning German in order to study in Germany.
Ich arbeite hart, um meine Ziele zu erreichen.	I work hard to achieve my goals.

nicht nur… sondern auch…

Ich konzentriere mich nicht nur auf die Grammatik, sondern auch auf den Wortschatz.	I focus not only on grammar, but also on vocabulary.
Ich beherrsche nicht nur Deutsch, sondern auch Englisch.	I not only speak German, but also English.

sowohl… als auch…

Ich werde sowohl die Vorteile als auch die Nachteile dieser Methode erläutern.	I will explain both the advantages and disadvantages of this method.
Ich bearbeite sowohl administrative Aufgaben als auch kreative Projekte.	I work on both administrative tasks and creative projects.

weder… noch…

Ich habe weder die genaue Definition im Kopf, noch erinnere ich mich an das Beispiel.	I neither have the exact definition in my head, nor do I remember the example.
Ich habe weder Schwierigkeiten, unter Druck zu arbeiten, noch Probleme mit engen Deadlines.	I neither have difficulty working under pressure, nor do I have problems with tight deadlines.

Master conjunctions in German with Taalhammer!

You have already learned all the most important information about conjunctions. If you have additional questions you can always contact us or leave a comment. Also use our Taalhammer app, where a lot of additional material is waiting for you. Remember that practice makes perfect – the more you practice, the easier it will be for you to use conjunctions and the right formation in different situations. Good luck in your further learning!

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