{"id":93161,"date":"2023-07-10T01:47:52","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T05:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-subordinating-conjunctions\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T21:21:57","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T02:21:57","slug":"german-subordinating-conjunctions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-subordinating-conjunctions\/","title":{"rendered":"German Subordinating Conjunctions"},"content":{"rendered":"

To become fluent in German, you’ll have to jump over quite a few grammar hurdles.<\/p>\n

Here’s my back to basics guide for a grammar topic<\/a> that even the most advanced German speakers can still struggle with: subordinate conjunctions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Is a Subordinate Clause?<\/h2>\n

A subordinate clause is, simply put, one of the building blocks<\/a> of a compound sentence:<\/p>\n

Complex sentence = main clause + subordinate clause<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s an example of how it works in a real sentence:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ich muss schlafen, weil ich krank bin.
\n<\/strong><\/em>I need to sleep because I am ill.<\/p>\n

In the above, we have a main clause: Ich muss schlafen<\/em> (I need to sleep). Adding a second clause\u2014or, subordinate clause\u2014weil ich krank bin\u00a0<\/em>(because I am ill) lengthens the sentence, creating a complex sentence made up of two clauses.<\/p>\n

One thing which always stumps beginners is the position of the verb in the subordinate clause. With the example weil ich krank<\/em> bin, the verb\u2014in this case ist\u00a0<\/em>(is)\u2014is at the end of the clause. If we translate the sentence literally to English, it would read as, “I need to sleep because I ill am.”<\/p>\n

Unlike English, the German language sends its verbs to the ends of subordinate clauses\u2014it’s just something you have to accept without any real justification.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, it can be really tricky to remember to send your verbs to the end, but with plenty of practice, you’ll eventually find it comes naturally.<\/p>\n

Common German Subordinating Conjunctions<\/h2>\n

In the example above\u2014Ich muss schlafen, weil ich krank bin<\/em>\u2014the use of\u00a0weil\u00a0<\/em>(because) plays a really big part in the sentence. It’s the main reason why the verb is sent to the end of the clause. The grammatical term for the word is a “subordinate conjunction” as it conjoins the two clauses.<\/p>\n

Subordinate conjunctions are words which send the verb to the end, whether in a subordinate clause or not. Unfortunately, there’s no simple rule you can learn to help you spot a subordinate conjunction.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the most useful subordinate conjunctions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Als<\/em> \u2014 As\/when<\/h3>\n

Wir haben oft gespielt, als<\/strong> wir jung waren.
\n<\/em>We played often when<\/strong> we were young.<\/p>\n

Anstatt<\/em> \u2014 Instead of<\/h3>\n

Sie nahm den Bus, anstatt<\/strong> zu Fu\u00df zu gehen.<\/em>
\nShe took the bus instead of<\/strong> walking.<\/p>\n

Bevor<\/em> \u2014 Before<\/h3>\n

Ruf mich an, bevor<\/strong> wir in die Stadt gehen.<\/em>
\nGive me a call before<\/strong> we go to town.<\/p>\n

Bis<\/em> \u2014 Until<\/h3>\n

Ich warte, bis<\/strong> du wieder da bist.<\/em>
\nI’ll wait until<\/strong> you’re back again.<\/p>\n

Dass<\/em> \u2014 That<\/h3>\n

Ich hoffe, dass<\/strong> du uns noch lange erhalten bleibst.<\/em>
\nI hope that<\/strong> you stay with us for a long time yet.<\/p>\n

Damit<\/em> \u2014 So that<\/h3>\n

Ich nehme einen Tag frei, damit<\/strong> wir uns treffen k\u00f6nnen.<\/em>
\nI’ll take the day off so that<\/strong> we can meet up.<\/p>\n

Falls<\/em> \u2014 In case<\/h3>\n

Bring einen Regenschirm mit, falls<\/strong> es regnet.<\/em>
\nBring an umbrella in case<\/strong> it rains.<\/p>\n

Hingegen<\/em> \u2014\u00a0On the other hand<\/h3>\n

Ich mag Fu\u00dfball, hingegen<\/strong> mein Bruder bevorzugt Basketball.<\/em>
\nI like football, on the other hand<\/strong> my brother prefers basketball.<\/p>\n

Indem<\/em> \u2014 By<\/h3>\n

Er verbessert seine Sprachkenntnisse, indem<\/strong> er jeden Tag liest.<\/em>
\nHe improves his language skills by<\/strong> reading every day.<\/p>\n

Nachdem<\/em> \u2014\u00a0After<\/h3>\n

Ich gehe einkaufen, nachdem<\/strong> ich meine Arbeit erledigt habe.<\/em>
\nI go shopping after<\/strong> I finish my work.<\/p>\n

Ob<\/em> \u2014 Whether<\/h3>\n

Wei\u00dft du, ob<\/strong> er noch kommt?<\/em>
\nDo you know whether<\/strong> he is still coming?<\/p>\n

Obgleich<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Although<\/h3>\n

Er nahm an dem Rennen teil, obgleich<\/strong> er verletzt war.<\/em>
\nHe participated in the race, although<\/strong> he was injured.<\/p>\n

Obwohl<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Although<\/h3>\n

Ich habe kein Haustier, obwohl<\/strong> ich eine Katze m\u00f6chte.<\/em>
\nI don’t have a pet, although<\/strong> I would like a cat.<\/p>\n

Seit<\/em> \u2014 Since<\/h3>\n

Seit<\/strong> ich hier lebe, bin ich nicht gefahren.<\/em>
\nI haven’t driven since<\/strong> I have lived here.<\/p>\n

Sobald<\/em> \u2014 As soon<\/h3>\n

K\u00f6nnen Sie mich bitte anrufen, sobald<\/strong> es Ihnen m\u00f6glich ist.<\/em>
\nCan you please call me as soon<\/strong> as you can.<\/p>\n

Sodass<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>So that<\/h3>\n

Sie arbeitet hart, sodass<\/strong> sie ihre Ziele erreichen kann.<\/em>
\nShe works hard, so that<\/strong> she can achieve her goals.<\/p>\n

Sofern<\/em> \u2014 In case, provided that<\/h3>\n

Sofern<\/strong> nicht anders vereinbart.<\/em>
\nExcept<\/strong> when it’s been agreed upon differently.<\/p>\n

Solange<\/em> \u2014 As long as<\/h3>\n

Du kannst bleiben, solange<\/strong> du leise bist.<\/em>
\nYou can stay, as long as<\/strong> you are quiet.<\/p>\n

Sonst<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Otherwise<\/h3>\n

Pass auf den Verkehr auf, sonst<\/strong> wirst du einen Unfall haben.<\/em>
\nWatch out for the traffic, otherwise<\/strong> you will have an accident.<\/p>\n

Soweit<\/em> \u2014 Insofar as<\/h3>\n

Soweit<\/strong> ich wei\u00df.<\/em>
\nAs far as<\/strong> I know.<\/p>\n

Sowie<\/em> \u2014 As well, as soon<\/h3>\n

Ich gebe dir Bescheid, sowie<\/strong> ich kenne.<\/em>
\nI’ll let you know as soon<\/strong> as I know.<\/p>\n

Statt<\/em> \u2014 Instead of<\/h3>\n

Er ging ins Kino, statt<\/strong> seine Hausaufgaben zu machen.<\/em>
\nHe went to the cinema, instead of<\/strong> doing his homework.<\/p>\n

Um<\/em> \u2014 In order to<\/h3>\n

Er \u00fcbt jeden Tag, um<\/strong> besser zu werden.<\/em>
\nHe practices every day in order to<\/strong> get better.<\/p>\n

Vorausgesetzt <\/em>\u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Provided that<\/h3>\n

Vorausgesetzt<\/strong>, dass es nicht regnet, gehen wir spazieren.<\/em>
\nProvided that<\/strong> it doesn’t rain, we will go for a walk.<\/p>\n

W\u00e4hrend<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>During<\/h3>\n

W\u00e4hrend<\/strong> der Stunde haben wir viel geredet.<\/em>
\nWe talked a lot during<\/strong> the lesson.<\/p>\n

Wann<\/em> \u2014 When<\/h3>\n

Sag mir bitte, wann<\/strong> du ankommst.<\/em>
\nPlease tell me when<\/strong> you arrive.<\/p>\n

Weil<\/em> \u2014 Because<\/h3>\n

Ich bin versp\u00e4tet, weil<\/strong> ich verschlafen habe.<\/em>
\nI am late because<\/strong> I slept in.<\/p>\n

Wenn<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>If<\/h3>\n

Wenn<\/strong> wir ins Kino gehen, k\u00f6nnen wir viel Popcorn essen.<\/em>
\nIf<\/strong> we go to the cinema we can eat a lot of popcorn.<\/p>\n

Wie<\/em> \u2014 How<\/h3>\n

Lass mich morgen wissen, wie<\/strong> es dir geht.<\/em>
\nLet me know tomorrow how<\/strong> you’re doing.<\/p>\n

Wo<\/em> \u2014 Where<\/h3>\n

Sag mir bitte am Mittwoch, wo<\/strong> wir uns treffen.<\/em>
\nPlease tell me on Wednesday where<\/strong> we’re meeting.<\/p>\n

Aside from getting familiar with the definitions, one way to help you remember these subordinating conjunctions is to get lots of exposure to native German speakers using them.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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