How to Use Coordinating Conjunctions in German
In English, you can use conjunctions to combine independent clauses into one sentence. Take the following two sentences: "I don’t want to go outside." "It is raining." Add the conjunction “because” to combine the sentences: “I don’t want to go outside because it is raining.” In German, there are five coordinating conjunctions you can use to combine independent clauses. They are aber, denn, oder, sondern and und.
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Instructions
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Know that the coordinating conjunction “denn” means “because” or “for.” Take the following sentences: "I don’t want to go to school." ("Ich will nicht in die Schule gehen.") "I am tired." ("Ich bin müde.") Add the conjunction denn (because):" I don’t want to go to school because I am tired." In German, we say, “Ich will nicht in die Schule gehen, denn ich bin müde.”
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Understand that the coordinating conjunction “oder” means “or.” Take the following sentences: "Would you like tea?" ("Möchten Sie Tee?") "Would you like coffee?" ("Möchten Sie Kaffee?") Combine the sentences by adding the coordinating conjunction oder (or): "Would you like tea, or would you like coffee?" ("Möchten Sie Tee, oder möchten Sie Kaffee?")
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Learn that the German coordinating conjunction “und” means “and.” Take the following sentences:" I would like tea." ("Ich möchte Tee.") "I would like coffee." ("Ich möchte Kaffee.") Combine the sentences by adding the coordinating conjunction und (and). "I would like tea and I would like coffee." (“Ich möchte Tee und ich möchte Kaffee.”)
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Recognize that the German coordinating conjunctions “aber” and “sondern” both translate as “but.” However, they have different uses in German.
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Realize that “sondern” translates to “but rather.” There are two conditions that determine whether or not to use sondern. First, the first clause must express a negation. Second, the following clause must demonstrate contrast. Take the following sentences: "Hans is not doing to school." ("Hans geht nicht in die Schule.") "He is going to the movies." ("Er geht ins Kino.") The first clause expresses negation (not going to school). The second clause expresses contrast (going to the movies instead). Combine the sentences using sondern: “Hans geht nicht in die Schole, sondern er geht ins Kino.”
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If one of the conditions is not met, use “aber.” Take the following sentences: "Hans is going to school." ("Hans geht in die Schule.") "He does not want to go." ("Er will nicht gehen.") Look at the first sentence: "Hans is going to school." Since there is no contrast, use aber: “Hans geht in die Schule, aber er will nicht gehen” ("Hans is going to school, but he does not want to go").
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Now look at the following two sentences: "Hans is not going to school" ("Hans geht nicht in die Schule.") "He did his homework." ("Er hat seine Hausaufgaben gemacht.") Here the first sentence expresses a negation (not going to school), but the second sentence does not directly contradict it. Use aber: “Hans geht nicht in die Schule, aber er hat seine Hausaufgaben gemacht" ("Hans is not going to school, but he did his homework").
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