Coordinating Conjunctions in German

In Brief

The German conjunctions und (and), aber (but), oder (or), denn (because), and sondern (but rather) connect equal words, phrases, or main clauses. They do not trigger verb-final word order: after the conjunction, an ordinary statement still has its finite verb (the conjugated verb) in the usual second position. Use sondern only to replace or correct something that has been negated.

Overview

A conjunction is simply a connecting word. Coordinating conjunctions join elements of equal grammatical status: one noun with another noun, one phrase with another phrase, or one main clause with another main clause. A main clause is a clause that can stand as a complete sentence. These connectors let you turn short statements such as Ich lerne. Er arbeitet. into the smoother sentence Ich lerne und er arbeitet.

This is an early A1 topic, but it rests on an important fact about German main clauses: in a statement, the finite verb normally occupies position 2. “Position” means a grammatical slot, not necessarily the second written word. The conjunction itself sits outside the clause and does not take up position 1. Compare Ich bleibe hier with ..., aber heute bleibe ich hier: after aber, the time expression heute fills position 1 and bleibe remains in position 2.

English offers close equivalents for most of these words, but there are two useful warnings. German denn introduces a reason without changing word order, unlike weil, which normally sends the finite verb to the end. German sondern is also narrower than English “but”: it means “but rather” or “but instead” after a negative statement.

How It Works

The five core connectors

Conjunction	Usual English meaning	Job	Example
und	and	adds information	Mia liest und Tom kocht.
aber	but	contrasts two ideas	Der Film ist lang, aber interessant.
oder	or	presents alternatives	Fährst du mit dem Bus oder mit dem Zug?
denn	because, for	gives a reason	Wir gehen, denn es ist spät.
sondern	but rather, but instead	replaces a negated idea	Wir fahren nicht heute, sondern morgen.

You may encounter the mnemonic ADUSO: aber, denn, und, sondern, oder. It is only a memory aid; it does not tell you which conjunction to choose.

Connecting words and phrases

The simplest use joins sentence parts rather than complete clauses:

• Kaffee und Kuchen — coffee and cake
• heute oder morgen — today or tomorrow
• klein, aber bequem — small but comfortable
• nicht in Berlin, sondern in Hamburg — not in Berlin but in Hamburg

The joined elements normally perform the same job. For example, heute and morgen are both time expressions. No special verb rule is involved because there is no new clause.

Connecting two main clauses

When each side has its own subject and finite verb, each clause keeps normal main-clause structure:

clause 1 + conjunction + clause 2

Ich koche, aber mein Bruder bestellt eine Pizza.

In the second clause, mein Bruder is position 1 and bestellt is position 2. The conjunction aber is not counted as part of that numbering.

The first position can contain something other than the subject:

Ich arbeite heute, aber morgen habe ich frei.

After aber, morgen fills position 1, so the verb habe comes before the subject ich. Writing aber morgen ich habe frei incorrectly treats German like English.

Questions remain questions after a coordinating conjunction. A yes/no question still begins with its verb:

Kommst du mit oder bleibst du zu Hause?

When repeated material can be omitted

If both parts share a subject or another obvious element, German often avoids repeating it:

• Sie ist müde, aber glücklich.
• Ich öffne das Fenster und schließe die Tür.
• Möchtest du Tee oder Kaffee?

In the second example, ich applies to both verbs. The expanded meaning is Ich öffne das Fenster und ich schließe die Tür, but repetition is unnecessary. Do not infer a new word-order rule from this shortening: the shared material has simply been left understood.

Choosing between aber and sondern

Both can appear as “but” in an English translation, but they express different relationships.

• aber contrasts two facts, and both can be true: Das Hotel ist teuer, aber gut. The hotel is expensive and also good.
• sondern corrects a rejected idea: Das Hotel ist nicht teuer, sondern billig. “Expensive” is denied and replaced by “cheap.”

The negation can use nicht, kein, or another clearly negative expression:

• Er trinkt keinen Kaffee, sondern Tee.
• Sie fährt nie mit dem Auto, sondern immer mit dem Fahrrad.

A useful test is whether “but rather” sounds natural. If there is no negative idea to correct, choose aber, not sondern.

Choosing between denn and weil

Both can explain a reason, but their syntax differs:

Connector	Clause type	Pattern	Example
denn	coordinated main clause	subject + finite verb + ...	Ich gehe, denn ich bin müde.
weil	subordinate clause	subject + ... + finite verb	Ich gehe, weil ich müde bin.

A subordinate clause is a clause that depends on another clause and is marked here by verb-final order. At beginner level, remember: denn changes nothing; weil sends the conjugated verb to the end.

Commas

Punctuation depends on what is being connected:

• Before aber, sondern, and denn, use a comma when they connect clauses: Ich komme später, denn der Zug hat Verspätung.
• Do not normally put a comma between simple words or phrases: Brot und Käse; am Montag oder am Dienstag.
• Between two complete main clauses joined by und or oder, German often permits the comma to be omitted: Anna liest und Paul schläft. A comma may be added to clarify the structure, especially when the clauses are long.

For learners, the safest habit is to watch the unit being joined rather than automatically placing a comma before every conjunction.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Ich lerne und er arbeitet.	I study and he works.	Two complete main clauses
Wir kaufen Brot und Käse.	We are buying bread and cheese.	Two nouns; no new clause
Sie ist müde, aber glücklich.	She is tired but happy.	Two contrasting adjectives
Die Wohnung ist klein, aber sie hat einen Balkon.	The apartment is small, but it has a balcony.	Both clauses keep main-clause order
Heute regnet es, aber morgen scheint die Sonne.	It is raining today, but the sun will shine tomorrow.	A time word occupies position 1 after aber
Kommst du oder bleibst du?	Are you coming or staying?	Two yes/no question structures
Möchtest du Wasser oder Saft?	Would you like water or juice?	Choice between two nouns
Ich nehme den Bus, denn mein Fahrrad ist kaputt.	I’m taking the bus because my bicycle is broken.	denn introduces a reason
Lena bleibt zu Hause, denn sie muss arbeiten.	Lena is staying home because she has to work.	The modal verb remains in position 2
Das ist nicht mein Schlüssel, sondern deiner.	That is not my key, but yours.	A negated identification is corrected
Wir treffen uns nicht am Freitag, sondern am Samstag.	We are meeting not on Friday but on Saturday.	One time is replaced by another
Er wohnt nicht in Köln, sondern er arbeitet dort.	He does not live in Cologne; rather, he works there.	One whole claim is corrected by another
Ich öffne die Tür und gehe hinaus.	I open the door and go outside.	The shared subject is not repeated
Der Weg ist weit, aber heute fahren wir mit dem Auto.	The route is long, but today we are going by car.	heute is position 1; fahren is position 2

Common Mistakes

Sending the verb to the end after denn

• Wrong: Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich müde bin.
• Right: Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin müde.
• Why: Denn coordinates two main clauses. It does not create the verb-final pattern used after weil.

Counting the conjunction as position 1

• Wrong: Es regnet, aber ich heute gehe spazieren.
• Right: Es regnet, aber heute gehe ich spazieren.
• Why: Aber sits outside the new clause. Heute is position 1, so the finite verb gehe must follow it.

Using sondern for an ordinary contrast

• Wrong: Das Buch ist kurz, sondern spannend.
• Right: Das Buch ist kurz, aber spannend.
• Why: Nothing has been denied. Sondern needs a negative first idea that the second idea replaces.

Using aber where a correction is intended

• Less precise: Wir fahren nicht nach Bonn, aber nach Berlin.
• Right: Wir fahren nicht nach Bonn, sondern nach Berlin.
• Why: The destination Bonn is explicitly rejected and replaced by Berlin, so sondern expresses the intended correction.

Adding a comma inside a simple list

• Wrong: Ich brauche Papier, und einen Stift.
• Right: Ich brauche Papier und einen Stift.
• Why: These are two noun phrases, not two clauses. A simple pair with und takes no comma.

Copying English word order after an opening time phrase

• Wrong: Ich arbeite heute, aber morgen ich habe frei.
• Right: Ich arbeite heute, aber morgen habe ich frei.
• Why: English keeps “I have” after “tomorrow,” but German places the finite verb in position 2.

Usage Notes

Und and oder are neutral and extremely common in every register. Aber is also the everyday default for contrast. In speech, aber can appear later in a clause—Das ist aber teuer!—but there it often acts as a particle adding surprise or emphasis, not as the coordinating conjunction taught here.

Denn as “because” is common and fully standard, though everyday speakers also use weil very frequently. In questions, denn can have a different function: Was machst du denn? may sound curious, friendly, or surprised. It does not mean “because” there and does not connect two clauses.

The choice marked by oder can be exclusive or inclusive depending on context. Kaffee oder Tee? normally asks you to choose one. In Mit Karte oder bar bezahlen (“pay by card or in cash”), the practical situation also suggests alternatives. German, like English, usually relies on context rather than changing the conjunction.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following patterns at A1, but they explain forms you will meet later.

German has paired coordinating expressions. Entweder ... oder means “either ... or,” weder ... noch means “neither ... nor,” and nicht nur ... sondern auch means “not only ... but also”:

• Wir fahren entweder heute oder morgen. — We are going either today or tomorrow.
• Er trinkt weder Kaffee noch Tee. — He drinks neither coffee nor tea.
• Sie spricht nicht nur Deutsch, sondern auch Polnisch. — She speaks not only German but also Polish.

Keep parallel elements after each half of a pair. If the first half introduces a noun, the second should normally introduce a comparable noun; if it introduces a clause, balance it with a clause. This is as much a matter of clear style as grammar.

Advanced writing may use doch or jedoch for contrast. They are not syntactically identical to aber in every placement. In Es war spät, doch wir blieben, doch coordinates clauses much like aber. By contrast, jedoch can occupy a position within the clause: Es war spät; wir blieben jedoch. Learners should not automatically apply the “conjunction outside the clause” rule to every word translated as “however.”

Finally, coordinated clauses can become long enough that punctuation matters for readability. A comma before und or oder may clarify where one complete clause ends and another begins, even where it is not obligatory. Published texts therefore show more variation than short beginner examples.

Practice Tips

1. Take two short main clauses and join them with different conjunctions. Say each clause separately first, then check that its verb order stays intact after und, aber, oder, or denn.
2. Make contrast pairs to fix the difference between aber and sondern: teuer, aber gut versus nicht teuer, sondern billig. Ask whether both descriptions remain true or one replaces the other.
3. When reading, underline the finite verb in every clause. Circle denn and weil, then notice that the verb stays near the front after denn but moves to the end after weil.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Word Order (Main Clause) — explains the position-2 rule that coordinating conjunctions preserve.