Using subordinating conjunctions in German

• Conjunctions are words which are used to link ideas together.

• A subordinate clause is a clause which is dependent on the main clause for it to make sense.

• Subordinating conjunctions:

  • are used to join the subordinate clause to the main sentence

  • add more complexity in German because they change the word order

  • subordinate the verb which means the verb is moved to the end of the sentence

Watch this video as a refresher on word order before reading about subordinating clauses.

Subordinating conjunctions are words which join a main clause to a subordinate clause.

The subordinate clause is the part of the sentence which contains the subordinating conjunction.

Subordinating conjunctions subordinate the verb which means they change the word order in the sentence by sending the verb to the end of the clause.

For example:

Mein Lieblingsfach ist Kunst, weil ich sehr kreativ bin. - My favourite subject is art because I am very creative.

• weil ich sehr kreativ bin is a subordinate clause because it does not make sense on its own. It depends on having the main clause Mein Lieblingsfach ist Kunst first.

• weil has moved the verb bin to the end of the sentence and is preceded by a comma.

• All subordinating conjunctions must have a comma before them.

Identify the verb in the sentence.

Key subordinating conjunctions are:

Examples:

bevor

Ich putze mir die Zähne.Ich gehe ins Bett. - I brush my teeth. I go to bed.

Ich putze mir die Zähne, bevor ich ins Bett gehe. - I brush my teeth (main clause) before I go to bed (subordinate clause).

dass

Ich denke.Actionfilme sind sehr spannend. - I think. Action films are very exciting.

Ich denke, dass Actionfilme sehr spannend sind. - I think (main clause) that action films are very exciting (subordinate clause).

ob

Ich weiß nicht.Er kommt heute Abend. - I don’t know. He is coming this evening.

Ich weiß nicht, ob er heute Abend kommt. - I don’t know (main clause) if he is coming this evening (subordinate clause).

obwohl

Fußballspielen macht Spaß.Ich spiele lieber Rugby. - Playing football is fun. I prefer playing rugby.

Fußballspielen macht Spaß, obwohl ich lieber Rugby spiele. - Playing football is fun (main clause), although I prefer playing rugby (subordinate clause).

weil

Ich gehe heute Abend nicht aus.Es ist zu kalt. - I’m not going out tonight. It is too cold.

Ich gehe heute Abend nicht aus, weil es zu kalt ist. - I’m not going out tonight (main clause) because it is too cold (subordinate clause).

A sentence can start with a subordinating conjunction, but this has a further impact on word order:

• Wenn ich Zeit habe, gehe ich ins Kino. - When I have time, I go to the cinema.

• Als ich jünger war, wollte ich keine Gemüse essen. - When I was younger, I didn’t want to eat any vegetables.

• Obwohl meine Stadt ziemlich klein ist, gibt es viel zu tun. - Although my town is small, there is lots to do.

As the first part of the sentence is the subordinate clause, this is the first idea. Don’t forget that in normal German word order, the verb is always the second idea which means the main clause must now start with the verb. This is then followed by the subject.

This creates verb comma verb in the middle of the sentence.

Separable verbs have a prefix which has been added to the main verb.

The meaning of a verb can change by adding a prefix. For example:
kommen → to come, ankommen → to arrive.

These prefixes are separable. This means they detach from the main verb when the verb is conjugated. For example:
der Zug kommt um neun Uhr an.The train arrives at nine o’clock.

When separable verbs are used after a subordinating conjunction, the conjugated verb is reattached to the prefix at the end of the sentence.

• Der Zug kommt um neun Uhr an. - The train arrives at nine o’clock.

• Ich denke, dass der Zug um neun Uhr ankommt. - I think (that) the train arrives at nine o’clock.

When using two verbs in a sentence after a subordinating conjunction, the conjugated verb goes to the end. For example:

A modal verb + infinitive:

• Ich gehe nicht ins Schwimmbad.Ich kann nicht schwimmen. → Ich gehe nicht ins Schwimmbad, weil ich nicht schwimmen kann. - I am not going to the swimming pool because I can’t swim.

kann is the conjugated verb after the subordinating conjunction weil and needs to be moved to the end of the sentence.

An auxiliary verb + past participle:

Ich bin sehr müde.Ich bin früh ins Bett gegangen. → Ich bin sehr müde, obwohl ich früh ins Bett gegangen bin. - I am very tired although I went to bed early.

bin is the conjugated verb after the subordinating conjunction obwohl and needs to be moved to the end of the sentence.

Translate the sentences into German

Take this quiz to test your knowledge of how to use subordinating conjunctions.