LERNPFAD · A1 · Grundlegende Kommunikation im Alltag
Konjunktionen: und, oder, aber, denn, sondern
I am staying at home because I am ill.
ERKLÄRUNG
These conjunctions join two main clauses. After the conjunction, the verb stays in the normal second position; the conjunction itself does not take a sentence position.
Coordinating conjunctions like und, oder, aber, denn and sondern connect two main clauses. They do not change the word order after them: the verb in the new clause stays in position 2.
Use und for addition, oder for alternatives, aber for contrast, and denn for a reason. With sondern, the first part is negative: nicht …, sondern … means “not …, but rather …”. A comma usually comes before aber, denn and sondern; usually no comma is used before und or oder. Don’t confuse denn with weil: weil is a Nebensatz (subordinate clause) and sends the verb to the end — that comes later at A2.
STRUKTUR
Hauptsatz + Konjunktion + HauptsatzThe verb in the second clause stays in position 2.
- Ich esse Brot, und ich trinke Tee.I eat bread, and I drink tea.
- Du kannst kommen, oder du kannst bleiben.You can come, or you can stay.
- Er ist müde, aber er arbeitet weiter.He is tired, but he keeps working.
Hauptsatz + denn + HauptsatzUse denn to give a reason in a second main clause.
- Ich gehe nach Hause, denn ich habe Kopfschmerzen.I am going home because I have a headache.
- Sie lernt viel, denn sie hat morgen einen Test.She studies a lot because she has a test tomorrow.
nicht / kein + …, sondern + …Sondern corrects the first part after a negative.
- Ich trinke keinen Kaffee, sondern Tee.I do not drink coffee, but tea instead.
- Er spricht nicht Deutsch, sondern Englisch.He does not speak German, but English.
ÜBERSICHT
Main conjunctions at a glance
| Konjunktion | Meaning | Comma? | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| und | and | usually no | adds ideas |
| oder | or | usually no | shows choice |
| aber | but | yes | shows contrast |
| denn | because | yes | gives a reason |
| sondern | but rather | yes | corrects after negation |
TYPISCHE FEHLER
Ich bin müde, aber gehe ich noch spazieren.
Ich bin müde, aber ich gehe noch spazieren.
Aber still introduces a main clause, so the verb comes in position 2 after the subject. The comma before aber is also required.
Wir bleiben zu Hause, denn regnet es.
Wir bleiben zu Hause, denn es regnet.
Denn introduces the reason. After denn, the clause keeps normal word order, so the verb stays in position 2.
Ich trinke keinen Kaffee, aber Tee.
Ich trinke keinen Kaffee, sondern Tee.
After a negation, sondern corrects the first idea: not A, but B. Aber only links contrasting ideas; it does not directly replace the negated item.
HINWEISE
- Before und and oder, there is usually no comma when two main clauses are simply linked.
- Before aber, denn and sondern, the comma is normally required.
- Sondern almost always appears after a negative word such as nicht or kein.
- Do not use weil here to mean “because” in production at this level; it is a later topic with verb-final word order.
VERWANDT
Pick the answer that completes the sentence
Ich trinke nicht Kaffee, ＿＿ Tee.
I do not drink coffee, but tea instead.