Word orderConjunctions and word order

Conjunctions are joining words. They link two clauses to make them into one. Some of them affect the word order:

• coordinating conjunctions are easy as they do not change the word order
• subordinating conjunctions send the verb to the end of the clause

Coordinating conjunctions

The following words are the coordinating conjunctions. They do not change the word order.

aber - but

denn - as, since (in the sense of because)

oder - or

sondern - but (in a contradiction)

und - and

They are used to join two clauses. If the clauses are not joined together by a coordinating conjunction, both clauses will still make perfect sense on their own.

aber

Ich esse viel Obst, aber ich hasse Bananen. - I eat lots of fruit, but I hate bananas.

denn

Sie sind ins Konzert gegangen, denn sie wollten ihre Lieblingsband sehen. - They went to the concert, because they wanted to see their favourite band.

oder

Wir sehen abends fern oder wir lesen. - We watch TV in the evening or we read.

sondern

Ich werde nicht Spanisch studieren, sondern Deutsch. - I won't study Spanish, but German.

und

Ich bin sehr sportlich und ich trainiere viermal die Woche. - I am very sporty and I train four times a week.