Coordinate, subordinate and compound conjunctions
The coordinate conjunctions do not modify the position of the verb in the clause. The most common ones are:
| Coordinate conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| aber | but |
| beziehungsweise | better put respectively |
| denn | because then |
| oder | or |
| sondern | but but rather |
| und | and |
It means "but".
Die Hose ist schön, aber zu klein
The pants are pretty but too small
Er ist klug, aber faul
He’s smart but lazy
Das Angebot ist super, aber wir haben keine Zeit
The offer is great but we don’t have time
It means "better put" or "respectively" and is abbreviated often as bzw.
Ein Auto habe ich beziehungsweise meine Frau hat eins
I have a car or, better put, my wife has one.
Die Disko ist heute billiger für Frauen und Männer. Es kostet 7 Euro bzw. 10 Euro.
The disco is cheaper today for women and men. It costs 7 and 10 Euros, respectively
It means then/because, etc.
Ich weinte, denn ich hatte kein Geld
I cried because I didn’t have money
Synonymns: weil
Means "or"
Ich weiß nicht, ob ich lachen oder weinen soll
I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry
Wer fängt an, du oder ich?
Who starts, you or me?
Means "but" or "but rather"
Das Haus ist nicht alt, sondern neu
The house is not old but new
It means "and"
Meine Freunde und ich wollen ins Kino gehen
My friends and I want to go to the cinema
Subordinate conjunctions help to form subordinate clauses. One of the most interesting things about German is that the verb is placed in the last position of the clause in subordinate clauses (Main article: Sentence structure in German)
| Subordinate conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| als | when |
| bevor | before |
| bis | until |
| dass | that |
| damit | so that |
| nachdem | after |
| ob | whether if |
| obwohl | although |
| seitdem | since |
| sobald | as soon as |
| sofern | provided that as long as |
| soweit | insofar as |
| sowie | as soon as |
| während | while |
| weil | because |
| wenn | if |
| wie | how |
| wo | where |
It means "when" if it is a subordinate conjunction. Careful: It’s used only in the past and when the past event only took place one time (temporal conjunction)
Als ich Kind war, wohnte ich in München
When I was a child, I lived in Munich
"Als" is also used for the construction of the comparative of superiority:
Er ist stärker als ich
He is stronger than me
It means "before" (temporal conjunction to show previous action or event)
Woran denkst du, bevor du einschläfst?
What do you think about before you fall asleep?
It means "until" (temporal conjunction to show subsequent action or event) "Bis" can act as a subordinate conjunction:
Warte, bis du gesund bist
Wait until you are healthy
or as a preposition:
Bis in den Tod
until death
It can be translated into English as "that" and is used to start a new subordinate clause.
Ich denke, dass die deutsche Sprache kompliziert ist
I think that the German language is complicated
Sometimes English speakers confuse "das" (relative pronoun) and "dass" (conjunction). The reason for this is because we use "that" for both words.
"das" is used to make relative clauses, which are used to give more information about a noun (Example: the noun "book"):
Das ist das Buch, das ich gerade lese
This is the book that I am reading
dass is to make common subordinate clauses where more information is given with a verb (Example: the verb to say)
Ich habe dir gesagt, dass er heute kommt
I told you that he’s coming today
It means "so that" (conjunction of purpose)
Ich spare, damit meine Familie einen Mercedes kaufen kann
I am saving money so that my family can buy a Mercedes
It means "after" (temporal conjunction)
Nachdem wir aufgestanden waren, haben wir gepackt
After we got up, we packed our bags
It means “whether/if” in the context of indirect questions or to show doubt.
Er hat dich gefragt, ob du ins Kino gehen möchtest
He asked you if you wanted to go to the cinema
Common mistakes: Confusing the use of ob and wenn
It means "although" or "even though" (concessive conjunction)
Ich mag Kinder, obwohl ich keine habe
I like kids even though I don’t have any
It means "since" (temporal conjunction). Seit can act as a subordinate conjunction:
Ich wohne in Köln, seit ich geboren bin
I’ve been living in Cologne since I was born
or as a preposition (seit + Dative):
Er wohnt jetzt seit 2 Jahren in diesem Haus
He’s been living in this house for two years
It means "since" (temporal conjunction)
Ich habe keine Heizung, seitdem ich in Spanien wohne
I haven’t had heating since I’ve been living in Spain
It means "as soon as" (temporal conjunction)
Ich informiere dich, sobald ich kann
I’ll inform you as soon as I can
It means "as long as" (temporal conjunction)
Wir versuchen zu helfen, sofern es möglich ist
We will try to help as long as it’s possible
It means "as much as" or "for all"
Soviel ich weiß, ist sie in Berlin geboren
For all I know, she was born in Berlin
It means "as far as"
Soweit ich mich erinnern kann, war er Pilot
As far as I remember, he was a pilot
It means "as soon as"
Ich schicke dir das Dokument, sowie es fertig ist
I’ll send you the document as soon as it’s finished
It means "while" or "during" (temporal). While can act as a subordinate conjunction:
Während ich studierte, lernte ich auch Deutsch
While I was studying, I was also learning German
or as a preposition (während + Genitive):
Während meiner Jugendzeit war ich in Basel
During my youth I was in Basel
It means "because" (causal conjunction)
Sie arbeitet heute nicht, weil sie krank ist
She doesn’t work today because she’s sick
Synonyms: denn
It means "if" but only in certain cases. For example: "If you want to go with us, you can." Expressing doubt would require "ob". For example: " I don’t know if you’d like to come with us." It also means "whenever" (conditional conjunction)
Wenn du möchtest, kannst du Deutsch lernen
If you want, you can learn German (context of "if" or "in case")
Wenn ich singe, fühle ich mich viel besser
If I sing, I feel much better (context of "whenever I sing...")
Common mistakes: Confusing the use of "wenn" and "ob".
It means "how" (modal conjunction):
Ich weiß nicht, wie ich es auf Deutsch sagen kann
I don’t know how to say it in German
or for expressions of equality:
Peter ist so dünn wie Tomas
Peter is as thin as Tomas
It means "where" (local conjunction)
Ich weiß nicht, wo er Deutsch gelernt hat
I don’t know where he learned German
Compound conjunctions are formed by 2 words:
| Compound conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| anstatt ... zu | instead of [subordinate] |
| entweder ... oder | either... or [coordinate] |
| weder noch | neither... nor [coordinate] |
| weder noch | as well as [subordinate] |
| sowohl ... als (auch) | as well as [subordinate] |
| sowohl ... wie (auch) | as well as [subordinate] |
It means "instead of"
Ich würde 2 Wochen am Strand liegen, anstatt zu arbeiten
I would be lying on the beach for 2 weeks instead of working
It means "either… or"
Entweder bist du Teil der Lösung, oder du bist Teil des Problems
Either you’re part of the solution or you’re part of the problem
Die Hose ist entweder schwarz oder rot
The pants are either black or red
It means "neither… nor"
Weder du noch ich haben eine Lösung
Neither you nor I have a solution
It means "as well as"
Ich habe sowohl schon einen Mercedes als auch einen Audi gehabt
I have had a Mercedes as well as an Audi
It means "as well as"
Ich habe sowohl ein Auto wie auch ein Motorrad
I have a car as well as a motorcycle