Subordinate Clauses: weil, dass in German

Overview

Subordinate clauses are dependent clauses that cannot stand on their own and are introduced by a conjunction. The two most important subordinating conjunctions at the A2 level are weil (because) and dass (that). They allow you to express reasons, opinions, beliefs, and reported information — essential building blocks for moving beyond simple sentences.

The defining feature of German subordinate clauses is that the conjugated verb moves to the very end of the clause. This is a major difference from English and from German main clauses, where the verb sits in second position. "Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin" (I stay home because I am sick) — notice how "bin" jumps to the end after "weil."

Mastering this verb-final word order is a breakthrough moment for German learners. Once you are comfortable with weil and dass, you will have the foundation for all other subordinate clauses in German.

How It Works

Word Order in Subordinate Clauses

Main clause: Subject + Verb (position 2) + rest Subordinate clause: Conjunction + Subject + rest + Verb (final position)

Type	Structure	Example
Main clause	Ich bin krank.	I am sick.
With weil	..., weil ich krank bin.	..., because I am sick.
Main clause	Er kommt morgen.	He is coming tomorrow.
With dass	..., dass er morgen kommt.	..., that he is coming tomorrow.

Using weil (because)

Weil introduces a reason or cause:

• Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Berlin arbeiten will.
• (I am learning German because I want to work in Berlin.)

Using dass (that)

Dass introduces a statement, opinion, or fact:

• Ich weiß, dass er morgen kommt.
• (I know that he is coming tomorrow.)
• Es ist wichtig, dass du pünktlich bist.
• (It is important that you are on time.)

Comma Rule

A subordinate clause is always separated from the main clause by a comma in German.

When the subordinate clause comes first

If the subordinate clause begins the sentence, the main clause verb follows immediately (verb-verb contact):

• Weil ich krank bin, bleibe ich zu Hause.
• (Because I am sick, I stay home.)

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.	I stay home because I am sick.	Reason with weil
Ich weiß, dass er kommt.	I know that he is coming.	Statement with dass
Es ist gut, dass du hier bist.	It's good that you are here.	Evaluation + dass
Er lernt Deutsch, weil er nach Wien zieht.	He's learning German because he's moving to Vienna.	Reason with weil
Ich glaube, dass sie Recht hat.	I believe that she is right.	Belief + dass
Weil es regnet, bleiben wir drinnen.	Because it's raining, we're staying inside.	Weil-clause first
Sie sagt, dass das Essen gut ist.	She says that the food is good.	Reported speech + dass
Ich bin müde, weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe.	I'm tired because I slept badly.	Perfect tense in weil-clause
Es freut mich, dass du da bist.	I'm glad that you are here.	Emotion + dass
Weil er kein Geld hat, kann er nicht kommen.	Because he has no money, he can't come.	Weil-clause first with modal

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to put the verb at the end

• Wrong: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich bin krank.
• Right: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
• Why: In subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb must be the last element.

Missing the comma before the subordinate clause

• Wrong: Ich weiß dass er kommt.
• Right: Ich weiß, dass er kommt.
• Why: German requires a comma between main and subordinate clauses — this is not optional.

Wrong verb position when the subordinate clause comes first

• Wrong: Weil ich krank bin, ich bleibe zu Hause.
• Right: Weil ich krank bin, bleibe ich zu Hause.
• Why: When the subordinate clause comes first, it occupies position 1 of the main clause, so the main verb must be in position 2, immediately after the comma.

Confusing verb position with multiple verbs

• Wrong: ..., weil ich habe schlecht geschlafen.
• Right: ..., weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe.
• Why: With compound tenses (like the Perfekt), the auxiliary (habe) goes to the very end, after the past participle.

Usage Notes

In casual spoken German, many speakers use weil with main clause word order (verb in position 2): "Ich komme nicht, weil ich hab keine Zeit." While this is widespread in speech, it is considered informal and should be avoided in writing and formal contexts. In your language learning, practice the standard verb-final order first.

Dass is sometimes omitted in spoken German, resulting in main clause word order: "Ich glaube, er kommt morgen" instead of "Ich glaube, dass er morgen kommt." Both are correct, but the version with dass is more explicit and generally preferred in writing.

Practice Tips

1. Take simple sentence pairs and combine them with weil or dass. Start with: "Ich bin müde" + "Ich habe schlecht geschlafen" = "Ich bin müde, weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe." Practice moving the verb to the end systematically.
2. List five things you believe or know using dass: "Ich weiß, dass... Ich glaube, dass... Ich hoffe, dass..." This builds the dass-pattern into your active vocabulary.
3. When reading German, underline every subordinate clause and check where the verb is. This trains your eye to expect and produce the verb-final pattern.

Related Concepts

• Word Order (Main Clause) — the standard V2 word order that subordinate clauses modify
• Subordinate Clauses: wenn, ob — the next pair of subordinating conjunctions
• Relative Clauses — another type of subordinate clause with verb-final word order
• Concessive Clauses: obwohl, trotzdem — expressing contrast with subordinate clauses
• Advanced Sentence Connectors — more complex ways to connect clauses