Consecutive clauses (Konsekutivsatz) in German

Result Clauses (Konsekutivsatz)

Result clauses, also known as Konsekutivsatz, play a crucial role in German to express the consequences of actions. These clauses commonly use the conjunction "sodass" to connect the main clause with the result, clearly showing the cause-and-effect relationship within the sentence.

Structure of Result Clauses

The basic structure consists of a main clause (Hauptsatz) followed by a subordinate clause (Nebensatz) introduced by "sodass". This formation clarifies the relationship between an event and its result.

Example:

• Main Clause: "Er hat viel gearbeitet,**
• Subordinate Clause: "sodass er müde wurde."
  (He worked a lot, so he became tired.)

Separating "so" and "dass"

An interesting point about result clauses is that "so" and "dass" can be separated in certain cases. When separated, "so" often appears right before an adjective in the main clause to emphasize the result.

Example:

• When: "Es war so laut, dass ich nichts hören konnte."
  (It was so loud that I couldn't hear anything.)

Using Adverbs to Indicate Results

In addition to "sodass", we can use adverbs indicating results such as „also“, „therefore“, „for this reason“, or „consequently“. Typically, using these adverbs involves splitting the clause into two distinct sentences.

Example:

• When: "Das Wetter ist schlecht. Deshalb bleiben wir drinnen." (The weather is bad. Therefore, we're staying inside.)

Using Präposition-Nomen as Alternatives

Finally, we can also replace the result clause with constructions like "infolge" + Genitive.

Example:

• When: "Es war so heiß, dass die Pflanzen verwelkt sind."
  (It was so hot that the plants withered.)
  => "Infolge der Hitze sind die Pflanzen verwelkt."

In summary, result clauses offer a rich way to connect causes and effects in the German language.