German Conjunctions - Usage and Examples

German conjunctions are words that link phrases, sentences and clauses into larger structural units. They are essential for forming complex and meaningful sentences. German conjunctions can be divided into two main categories: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions connect two clauses or phrases of equal importance, while subordinating conjunctions link two clauses or phrases, but one is more important than the other.

In this article, we will discuss the different types of German conjunctions, their usage and provide examples.

Types of German Conjunctions

The most commonly used German conjunctions are divided into two categories: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect two clauses or phrases of equal importance. The most commonly used coordinating conjunctions in German are: und (and), aber (but), oder (or), denn (for), sondern (but rather), sowie (as well as), weder (neither), noch (nor).

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions are used to connect two clauses or phrases, but one is more important than the other. The most commonly used subordinating conjunctions in German are: dass (that), wenn (when), als (as), bevor (before), damit (so that), ob (whether), weil (because), obwohl (although).

Usage

The usage of German conjunctions depends on the context in which they are used. Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect two clauses or phrases of equal importance, while subordinating conjunctions are used to link two clauses or phrases, but one is more important than the other.

For example, the coordinating conjunction “und” (and) can be used to connect two clauses of equal importance, such as in the sentence: “Ich gehe spazieren und ich esse ein Eis” (I’m going for a walk and I’m eating an ice cream).

The subordinating conjunction “weil” (because) can be used to link two clauses or phrases, but one is more important than the other, such as in the sentence: “Ich esse das Eis, weil es mir gut schmeckt” (I’m eating the ice cream because it tastes good to me).

Examples

The following are examples of German conjunctions used in different contexts.

Coordinating Conjunctions

• Ich gehe spazieren und ich esse ein Eis. (I’m going for a walk and I’m eating an ice cream.)
• Er ist zu müde, aber er geht trotzdem. (He is too tired, but he is still going.)
• Ich kann deutsch oder englisch sprechen. (I can speak German or English.)
• Ich liebe dich, denn du bist mein bester Freund. (I love you, for you are my best friend.)
• Er isst Sushi, sondern er isst Pizza. (He is not eating sushi, but he is eating pizza.)
• Er trinkt nicht nur Kaffee, sondern auch Tee. (He’s not just drinking coffee, but also tea.)

Subordinating Conjunctions

• Ich esse das Eis, weil es mir gut schmeckt. (I’m eating the ice cream because it tastes good to me.)
• Ich gehe ins Kino, obwohl ich müde bin. (I’m going to the movies even though I’m tired.)
• Wir gehen, damit wir den Film rechtzeitig sehen. (We’re going so that we can watch the movie on time.)
• Wir gehen, wenn der Film anfängt. (We’re going when the movie starts.)
• Als wir im Kino waren, regnete es. (When we were at the movies, it was raining.)
• Bevor du gehst, musst du das lernen. (Before you go, you have to learn this.)