Conjunctions — connecting sentences

Small words, giant workload. Und, aber, oder, denn, sondern — these five coordinators let you stitch two independent sentences into one. Get them down and your sentences instantly double in length and sound less like a textbook.

One big idea: these five do NOT change word order. Both halves of the sentence keep the normal V2 rule. The conjunction just sits in between, invisible to the verb position.

The five coordinators

How they work

Glue two full clauses. Both halves keep their subject and their verb-in-position-2.

aber vs. sondern — the correction rule

English uses "but" for both. German splits them. Use sondern when the first half is negated AND you're correcting it. Use aber in every other "but."

If the first half isn't negated, you can't use sondern. If it is negated AND you're substituting — sondern is the right word.

denn vs. weil — why you'll care

Both translate as "because." Denn is a coordinator (keeps V2 word order). Weil is a subordinator (sends the verb to the end). You'll meet weil properly later, but here's a preview so the difference registers.

Weil is more common in modern speech. Denn feels slightly more formal or written. Both are used; they're just structurally different. Don't try to mix them — you pick one and the grammar follows.

Dropping repeated subjects with und

If the same subject does both actions, you can drop it in the second half — and because there's no new subject, no comma either.

This is purely optional — Er kommt nach Hause, und er kocht das Abendessen is also fine. Dropping the subject just sounds tighter.

Commas — the short version

• Yes, comma before aber, denn, sondern (always).
• Often no comma before und and oder — especially when the second half is short or shares a subject.
• When in doubt, a comma before und is never wrong.

Common mistakes, named

1. Using weil and expecting V2. Ich bleibe, weil ich bin müde. ❌ → Ich bleibe, weil ich müde bin. ✓ (You'll meet this in Nebensätze.)

2. Using sondern without a preceding negation. Ich habe einen Hund, sondern er bellt viel. ❌ → Ich habe einen Hund, aber er bellt viel. ✓ No negation means no sondern.

3. Changing word order after denn. Ich bleibe, denn bin ich müde. ❌ → Ich bleibe, denn ich bin müde. ✓ Denn is a coordinator. Both halves keep their normal V2 shape.

Mini check

Where this leads

You've now got tools for simple joined sentences. Time for one of the most powerful verb families: the modal verbs. Können, müssen, wollen — the can/must/want of German.

Next up: Modalverben, part 1 — können, müssen, wollen.

Test yourself