Nominal style and verbal style
Nominalisierung von Nebensätzen
Nominalstil means turning a subordinate clause (conjunction + verb) into a noun phrase (preposition + noun), so that two clauses become one main clause.
A classic B2 exam task: take a two-clause sentence built with a conjunction like weil or obwohl and squeeze it into one sentence with a preposition like wegen or trotz (Nominalstil).
Right now: squeezing a clause into a noun
You already know how to turn a single verb into a noun (schlafen -> das Schlafen). Now we turn a whole subordinate clause into a noun.
ShortcutIn everyday life we use verbs and build long sentences (Verbalstil). In academic language and in the news, the conjunctions are dropped and the core of the sentence is squeezed into a preposition + noun structure (Nominalstil).
Weil es stark regnet, bleiben wir hier. (Verbal)
Because it’s raining hard, we’re staying here.
Wegen des starken Regens bleiben wir hier. (Nominal)
Because of the heavy rain, we’re staying here.
The two sentences mean exactly the same, but the second one is a single clause and sounds far more professional.
You already do this in English
English does the same thing. “He was tired because he worked” (verb) can be shortened to “He was tired from work” or “He was tired because of the job” (nominalised).
| With a conjunction (Verbalstil) | With a preposition (Nominalstil) | English logic |
|---|---|---|
| Weil er krank ist... | Wegen seiner Krankheit... | Because he is ill -> Because of his illness |
| Obwohl es kalt ist... | Trotz der Kälte... | Although it is cold -> Despite the cold |
| Nachdem er angekommen ist... | Nach seiner Ankunft... | After he had arrived -> After his arrival |
The verb (krank sein) turns into a noun (Krankheit) and a suitable preposition (wegen) is chosen.
Wegen des starken Regens...
Because of the heavy rain...
Table: which conjunction becomes which preposition?
To solve conversion tasks you need to know these pairings by heart. When you delete the conjunction and put in the preposition, you also have to put the noun into the case the preposition demands (mostly Genitiv or Dativ).
| Conjunction (subordinate clause) | Preposition (Nominalstil) | Case it takes |
|---|---|---|
| weil / da (because) | wegen / aufgrund | Genitiv |
| obwohl (although) | trotz | Genitiv |
| nachdem (after) | nach | Dativ |
| während (while) | während (same word!) | Genitiv |
| um ... zu / damit (in order to) | zu / für | Dativ / Akkusativ |
| wenn / als (when, if) | bei | Dativ |
Notice that subordinating conjunctions throw the verb to the end, while prepositions come directly in front of the noun.
Wenn die Sonne untergeht... -> Bei Sonnenuntergang...
When the sun sets -> At sunset...
The trap: don’t forget the adjective
Weil der Wind stark weht...
Because the wind is blowing hard...
Forgetting to turn the adverb into an adjective
When you turn the clause into a noun, you convert the verb (wehen -> der Wind), but you must also put the adverb (stark) in front of the noun as an adjective. Otherwise part of the meaning is lost.
Wegen des Windes...
Wrong/incomplete. (Because of the wind — “strong” has disappeared.)
Wegen des starken Windes...
Correct. (Because of the strong wind.)
You also have to remember the adjective endings (starken). When the preposition takes the Genitiv, the adjective mostly gets the ending “-en”.
What you just learned
Während ich studierte, arbeitete ich. -> ___ meines Studiums arbeitete ich.
Show the answer
Während is both a conjunction (verb goes last) and a preposition (takes the Genitiv). Here it is used as a preposition.
The phrase “Wegen des starkes Regens” is grammatically correct.
Show the answer
False. In the Genitiv, masculine (der) nouns take des and the adjective takes the ending “-en”: Wegen des starken Regens.
Which is the correct Nominalstil version of “Weil er krank ist”?
Show the answer
Wegen seiner Krankheit... — Weil -> Wegen. No verb or clause follows; a noun (seiner Krankheit) does.
What nobody tells you: why do we do this at all?
Why complicate things and say “aufgrund der Tatsache” (because of the fact) when a simple weil clause is available? Because in German, official bodies and newspapers hate verbs and love nouns. Nouns are clearer, measurable and permanent.
Weil die Preise steigen, gibt es Proteste.
Spoken, everyday language.
Aufgrund steigender Preise kommt es zu Protesten.
Newspaper headline language.
In university exams (DSH, TestDaF), the biggest skill they ask of you is to show you understood a nominal text by putting it into your own words (Verbalstil).
Build the sentence yourself
Tap the words and put them in order. This is the hardest part of German — and there are no options to pick from, you build it.
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tap the words
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tap the words
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tap the words
Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- weil / da -> wegen / aufgrund
Clauses that give a reason turn into these prepositions, which take the Genitiv.
weil es regnet -> wegen des Regens
- obwohl -> trotz
Clauses that express a contrast are shortened with trotz, which takes the Genitiv.
obwohl er müde ist -> trotz seiner Müdigkeit
- wenn / als -> bei
Clauses of time or condition meaning “when” take bei + Dativ.
wenn es regnet -> bei Regen
wegen es regnet
wegen des Regens
Wegen is not a conjunction and does not start a subordinate clause. A noun (Genitiv) must follow it directly.
trotz er ist krank
trotz seiner Krankheit
Trotz does not take a clause (er ist krank). It takes a noun phrase (seiner Krankheit).
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
Weil es stark schneit, bleiben wir zu Hause. -> des starken Schneefalls bleiben wir zu Hause.
Because it’s snowing hard / Because of the heavy snowfall...
Obwohl er sehr müde war, arbeitete er weiter. -> seiner großen Müdigkeit arbeitete er weiter.
Although he was very tired / Despite his great tiredness...
Nachdem die Sonne untergegangen war... -> dem Sonnenuntergang...
After the sun had set / After sunset...
Weil die Preise schnell steigen... -> Aufgrund der Preise...
Because prices are rising fast / Because of the fast-rising prices...
Wenn man Sport macht, schwitzt man. -> Sport schwitzt man.
When you do sport / While doing sport...
Build the sentence: We went for a walk despite the bad weather.
Tap the pieces to build the sentence
Correct order
Practice done — –
To finish the topic, take the full test: score 60% and it is marked as done on your level path.
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Nominalstil conversion worksheet
This whole page — tables, traps, examples — as one PDF. Download it, print it, run through it before the exam.
Related topics
Formal prepositions
aufgrund · infolge · mittels
Formal genitive prepositions such as aufgrund, infolge, anhand and mittels are advanced prepositions used in writing and official contexts; they …
Nominalization
-ung · -heit · das Lesen
Nominalization in German means forming nouns from verbs and adjectives with the endings -ung, -heit, -keit, -er, or with das + infinitive.
Time conjunctions
als · wenn · wann
Time conjunctions say when something happens: als, wenn and wann all mean “when”, but each one is used differently.