DA and DESHALB in German

In this lesson you learn how to express cause and result in German with da and deshalb. Both are very common and important for natural sentences.

Overview: cause and result

In German there are two typical patterns:

• Subordinate clause with da for the cause + main clause for the result
• Main clause for the cause + main clause with deshalb for the result

Conjunction da

da is a subordinating conjunction like weil. It introduces a Nebensatz and gives the reason (cause).

Word order with da

In a Nebensatz with da, the conjugated verb is always at the end.

More examples:

• Da es schon spät ist, gehe ich nach Hause. (Cause: it is late → result: I go home.)
• Ich bleibe im Bett, da ich krank bin. (Cause: I am ill → result: I stay in bed.)

da and weil

Often you can replace da with weil. da sounds a bit more formal and often puts the reason at the beginning.

Important: After da and weil you always have a Nebensatz with the verb at the end.

Adverb deshalb

deshalb is a so-called Konjunktionaladverb. It links two Hauptsätze and shows that the second sentence is the result.

Word order with deshalb

In the sentence with deshalb, deshalb stands in position 1, the conjugated verb in position 2.

More examples:

• Es ist sehr kalt, deshalb ziehe ich eine Jacke an. (It is very cold, therefore I put on a jacket.)
• Mein Zug hatte Verspätung, deshalb komme ich später. (My train was delayed, therefore I come later.)

Alternatives to deshalb

You can use similar words instead of deshalb:

• darum
• deswegen
• daher

Comparison: da vs. deshalb

After this lesson you can build sentences with da and deshalb to express reasons and results clearly.