A2 · elementary · 9/21 #WEIL

weil · dass · wenn

Nebensätze mit weil, dass, wenn

weil, dass and wenn are German subordinating conjunctions: they start a subordinate clause and send the conjugated verb to the end (weil ich müde bin, dass du kommst).

The moment you say weil, the verb runs to the end of the clause. English never does this — “because I’m tired” keeps its order — so this is where almost everyone trips. Here: every conjunction that sends the verb to the end, the wenn · wann · als split, and denn, the escape hatch when you are speaking.

Contents

English never moves the verb — German does

This builds on

A2 · Conjunctions (und · deshalb)A2 · Word order

If you can already join main clauses, this page adds the third group: the ones that send the verb to the end.

ShortcutIn a subordinate clause the conjugated verb goes to the very end. One rescue exception: denn never disturbs the order.

In English you say “I’m not coming because I’m tired” — the verb sits right after the subject, same as in any other sentence. German treats a because-clause as a different kind of sentence, and in it the verb does not stay put. That is the whole shock.

Ich bin müde.

I’m tired. → main clause: verb in second position

Ich komme nicht, weil ich müde bin.

I’m not coming because I’m tired. → subordinate clause: verb at the very end

That is the entire rule: conjunction arrives → the conjugated verb goes last. Nothing else in the clause changes; only the verb moves.

Three conjunctions, one behaviour

Conjunction	Meaning	Example
weil	because	Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil es regnet.
dass	that	Ich glaube, dass er kommt.
wenn	if · when (every time)	Wenn ich Zeit habe, rufe ich dich an.
ob	whether · if	Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt.
obwohl	although	Ich gehe, obwohl ich müde bin.
damit	so that	Ich lerne, damit ich die Prüfung bestehe.
als	when (one time in the past)	Als ich klein war, …
bis · seit · während	until · since · while	Warte, bis ich fertig bin.

They all do the same thing — these are not separate rules to memorise, just one reflex: if one of these words has left your mouth, park the verb at the end.

The escape hatch: denn

If you freeze after weil when speaking, there is a way out: denn also means “because”, but it does not move the verb.

Ich komme nicht, denn ich bin müde.

I’m not coming, because I’m tired. → normal order

Ich komme nicht, weil ich müde bin.

Same meaning, verb at the end.

Sends the verb to the END	Leaves the verb alone
weil · dass · wenn · ob · obwohl · damit · als · bis · seit · während	und · aber · denn · oder · sondern

The group on the right is fixed: und · aber · denn · oder · sondern. They line two clauses up side by side and never change either word order. Keep it in your pocket; when a sentence jams, switch to this side.

denn sounds a bit heavy in writing and perfectly natural in speech. In an exam, though, you are expected to show you can build it with weil — treat denn as a temporary fix.

Which verb goes last?

If the clause has more than one verb, the one that goes last is the conjugated one — the one that changes with the person. The others line up in front of it.

Case	Main clause	Subordinate clause
One verb	Ich bin müde.	…, weil ich müde bin.
Modal verb	Ich muss arbeiten.	…, weil ich arbeiten muss.
Perfekt	Ich habe gearbeitet.	…, weil ich gearbeitet habe.
Separable verb	Ich stehe früh auf.	…, weil ich früh aufstehe.
Perfekt + separable	Ich bin früh aufgestanden.	…, weil ich früh aufgestanden bin.

See the pattern? The verb that changes with the person always goes last. muss, habe, bin — the infinitive and the Partizip line up to its left.

Four traps

Trap 01

If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause flips

Weil ich müde bin, gehe ich nach Hause.

Because I’m tired, I’m going home.

Weil ich müde bin, ich gehe nach Hause.

Wrong — subject and verb must swap places.

Here is why: in German the verb of a main clause is always in second position. When the subordinate clause comes first, the whole clause fills position one — so the verb lands right behind it and the subject falls in behind the verb.

Shortcut: after the comma, start with the verb. …, gehe ich … · …, rufe ich dich an.

Trap 02

The comma is not optional

Ich glaube, dass er heute kommt.

I think (that) he’s coming today.

In German a subordinate clause is always separated by a comma. English lets you drop it (and even drop the word “that”); German gives you no such flexibility. In an exam, this is where careless points disappear.

Trap 03

dass ≠ das

Ich weiß, dass du kommst.

I know (that) you’re coming. → conjunction

Das Buch ist neu.

The book is new. → article

With one s, das is an article or a demonstrative pronoun; with double s, dass is the conjunction and it sends the verb to the end. The two most confused words in German writing.

Trap 04

wenn · wann · als — English has one “when” for all three

Word	When	Example
wenn	every time / in the future · condition	Wenn ich Zeit habe, komme ich.
als	in the past, one time	Als ich 10 war, …
wann	questions only	Wann kommst du?

If you are describing something that kept happening in the past, it is wenn again: Immer wenn ich in Berlin war, … (every time I was in Berlin…). For a single event, als.

wann also shows up in indirect questions, and there it sends the verb to the end: Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt.

Practice now

What you just learned

Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Deutschland ___ . (arbeiten)
Show the answer
arbeite. There is only one verb, so it is the one that goes last. The conjugation still follows ich — the position changed, the person did not.
…, weil ich morgen ___ . (arbeiten müssen)
Show the answer
arbeiten muss. The conjugated verb goes last — here the modal muss. The infinitive lines up to its left.
Weil ich müde bin, ___ nach Hause.
Show the answer
gehe ich. The subordinate clause filled position one; because the verb of the main clause has to stay in second position, the subject moves behind it.

How not to freeze when speaking: build the sentence backwards

Here is why subordinate clauses jam in conversation: you build the sentence from left to right, and saving the verb for the end means knowing in advance what you are about to say. The fix: pick the verb first, then start talking.

1 · What do I want to say? → I’m tired → verb: bin
2 · Hold the verb in your hand, say the rest: weil ich müde …
3 · Let the verb go: … bin.

For one week, build every weil sentence out loud. The habit of dropping the verb at the end comes through the ear; if you only practise on paper, you will slide back into main-clause order the moment you speak.

Three patterns that will earn their keep in daily life: Ich glaube, dass … · Ich weiß nicht, ob … · …, weil ich … muss. Memorise the three, swap the content every day.

07Build

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.

tap the words
tap the words
tap the words

Tips

Know this before the test

The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.

The conjunction sends the verb to the end
weil · dass · wenn · als · obwohl · ob — after these conjunctions the conjugated verb goes to the very end of the clause. A comma comes in front.
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil es regnet.
The verb that goes last is the conjugated one
With two verbs, the one that goes last is the conjugated one: the modal in a modal sentence, the auxiliary in the Perfekt. The infinitive or Partizip lines up to its left.
…, weil ich arbeiten muss. · …, weil ich geschlafen habe.
If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause flips
The subordinate clause fills position one; since the verb of the main clause has to stay in second position, the subject moves behind it.
Weil ich müde bin, gehe ich nach Hause.

…, weil ich bin müde.
…, weil ich müde bin.
Built in English order, the verb gets stranded in the middle. weil forces it to the end.
…, weil ich muss arbeiten.
…, weil ich arbeiten muss.
What goes last is the conjugated verb — the modal. The infinitive stands in front of it.
Weil ich müde bin, ich gehe nach Hause.
Weil ich müde bin, gehe ich nach Hause.
The subordinate clause filled position one; the verb of the main clause cannot slide away from position two, so the subject moves behind it.
…, denn ich müde bin.
…, denn ich bin müde.
Overcorrection: the weil habit is sending the verb to the end. denn never disturbs the order.

0706:15

Test yourself

Tap an answer — we will look at why together.

Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil es .

I’m staying home because it’s raining.

regnet. weil sends the conjugated verb to the very end: …, weil es regnet.

…, weil ich morgen . (arbeiten müssen)

…because I have to work tomorrow.

arbeiten muss. The conjugated verb goes last — here the modal muss. The infinitive lines up to its left.

Weil ich müde bin, nach Hause.

Because I’m tired, I’m going home.

gehe ich. The subordinate clause filled position one; because the verb of the main clause has to stay in second position, the subject moves behind it.

ich klein war, wohnte ich in Izmir.

When I was little, I lived in Izmir.

Als — one time in the past, or one period of it. wenn is for repeated events or future conditions, and wann is only for questions.

Which one does NOT send the verb to the END?

Which conjunction leaves the sentence alone?

denn. The group that leaves the verb where it is: und · aber · denn · oder · sondern. This is the side you fall back on when speech jams.

Ich weiß, dass er in Berlin .

I know (that) he lives in Berlin.

wohnt. dass behaves exactly like weil. Three conjunctions, one rule — nothing separate to memorise.

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Worksheet

Subordinate clause worksheet

This whole page — tables, traps, examples — as one PDF. Download it, print it, run through it before the exam.

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Word order

Heute gehe ich ins Kino

German word order puts the conjugated verb in second position, whatever comes first: Heute gehe ich ins Kino.

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Sentence structure