This page is about the words that stitch German sentences together into reasoned discourse — the ones that mean "therefore," "that's why," "nevertheless," "otherwise." These are conjunctional adverbs (often called adverbs of reason): they look back at a previous clause and draw a consequence, a contrast, or a condition from it. German keeps these strictly separate from the "because" words, and crucially, because they are adverbs rather than conjunctions, fronting them triggers verb-second inversion — a point English speakers consistently get wrong.
The clean German split: "because" words vs "therefore" words
English blurs cause and consequence. We can say "It was raining, so we stayed home," or flip it to "We stayed home because it was raining" — and the connector words feel like a casual either/or. German draws a sharp grammatical line:
- The cause is introduced by a subordinating conjunction: weil or da ("because"). These send the verb to the end of their clause.
- The consequence is introduced by a conjunctional adverb: deshalb, deswegen, daher, darum ("therefore / that's why"). These keep normal V2 word order and, when fronted, cause inversion.
Es hat geregnet, deshalb sind wir zu Hause geblieben.
It rained, so / that's why we stayed home. (deshalb = the 'therefore' word)
Wir sind zu Hause geblieben, weil es geregnet hat.
We stayed home because it rained. (weil = the 'because' word, verb to the end)
Notice the structural difference: after deshalb the verb is right there in second position (sind wir), but after weil the verb hat is shoved to the very end of the clause. The two halves of a causal relationship use two completely different machineries. Once you see this split, you stop trying to use weil where you need deshalb and vice versa.
The "therefore" synonyms
Four near-synonyms all mean essentially "therefore / for that reason / that's why," with mild differences in register:
| Adverb | Meaning | Register / note |
|---|---|---|
| deshalb | therefore, that's why | neutral, very common |
| deswegen | therefore, that's why | neutral, slightly more colloquial |
| darum | that's why | neutral, conversational |
| daher | hence, therefore | slightly more formal / written |
| somit | thus, consequently | (formal) |
| folglich | consequently, it follows that | (formal / academic) |
| also | so, therefore | neutral; a false friend (see below) |
Der Bus war ausgefallen, deswegen kam ich zu spät.
The bus had been cancelled, that's why I was late.
Die Beweise sind eindeutig, folglich muss er schuldig sein.
The evidence is unambiguous; consequently he must be guilty. (folglich — formal/academic)
Ich habe verschlafen, darum habe ich den Termin verpasst.
I overslept, that's why I missed the appointment.
The inversion trap
Because these are adverbs, putting one at the front of a clause makes it the Vorfeld — the single first element — and German's verb-second rule then demands that the conjugated verb come next, pushing the subject behind it. English speakers, treating deshalb like the conjunction "so," tend to write deshalb ich bin müde, which is wrong.
Ich bin krank, deshalb bleibe ich heute im Bett.
I'm sick, that's why I'm staying in bed today. (verb 'bleibe' right after deshalb, subject 'ich' after the verb)
Es ist spät, trotzdem will ich noch arbeiten.
It's late; nevertheless I still want to work. (trotzdem fronted → inversion)
Compare this with English "so," which is a true coordinating conjunction and doesn't invert ("...so I'm staying in bed"). The German adverb behaves differently precisely because it occupies a sentence slot. If you keep the verb pinned to second position, the subject takes care of itself.
Beware: also ≠ English "also"
The single nastiest false friend here is also. German also means "so / therefore / thus" — a consequence marker — not English "also" (= "as well / too," which is German auch). Mixing them up produces sentences that say the opposite of what you intend.
Du bist also doch gekommen!
So you came after all! (also = 'so/then', drawing a conclusion)
Ich denke, also bin ich.
I think, therefore I am. (the classic — also = therefore)
Ich mag Tee und auch Kaffee.
I like tea and coffee too. (English 'also' = German auch, not also)
Contrast and condition: trotzdem, dennoch, sonst
A second family of conjunctional adverbs draws a contrast or a condition rather than a consequence:
- trotzdem = "nevertheless, anyway" (concedes the previous point, then goes against it)
- dennoch = "nevertheless, yet" (more formal sibling of trotzdem)
- sonst = "otherwise, or else" (states what happens if the condition fails)
Es hat stark geregnet. Trotzdem sind wir spazieren gegangen.
It rained hard. We went for a walk anyway.
Die Aufgabe war schwer; dennoch hat sie sie gelöst.
The task was hard; nevertheless she solved it. (dennoch — slightly formal)
Beeil dich, sonst verpassen wir den Zug.
Hurry up, otherwise we'll miss the train.
All three invert when fronted, exactly like the "therefore" words.
The da-compounds in their linking role
The da-compounds (dadurch, dabei, dazu, davon, deswegen itself) double as discourse links. Built from da- ("there / that") plus a preposition, they refer back to the previous statement and connect it to the next — "by that means," "in doing so," "in addition to that," "of that."
Er hat jeden Tag geübt. Dadurch ist er so gut geworden.
He practised every day. That's how / by that means he got so good.
Sie hat den Vertrag unterschrieben und sich dabei nichts gedacht.
She signed the contract and didn't think anything of it (in doing so).
These also invert when they open a clause (Dadurch ist er...). For their full grammar as prepositional-object stand-ins (Ich denke daran), see the dedicated da-compounds page; here the point is simply that they serve as cohesive links between sentences.
Asking for the reason: warum, wieso, weshalb
The mirror image of these "therefore" adverbs is the set of interrogatives that ask for a reason. warum, wieso, and weshalb all mean "why" and are largely interchangeable in everyday speech; wieso feels a touch more colloquial, weshalb a touch more formal. (Strictly, wozu asks "for what purpose," which is a slightly different question.)
Warum bist du gestern nicht gekommen?
Why didn't you come yesterday?
Wieso lachst du?
Why / how come are you laughing? (wieso — conversational)
Common Mistakes
❌ Deshalb ich bin müde.
Incorrect — no inversion after a fronted conjunctional adverb.
✅ Deshalb bin ich müde.
That's why I'm tired.
deshalb is position 1, so the verb must be position 2 and the subject moves to position 3.
❌ Ich bin müde, deshalb weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe.
Incorrect — piles the 'therefore' and 'because' words together.
✅ Ich bin müde, weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe.
I'm tired because I slept badly.
Use weil for the cause OR deshalb for the consequence — not both. They mark opposite ends of the relationship.
❌ Ich mag Tee. Also mag ich Kaffee gern.
Incorrect — also used as English 'also' (= too).
✅ Ich mag Tee. Ich mag auch Kaffee.
I like tea. I also like coffee.
German also means "therefore," not "as well." For "also/too," use auch.
❌ Es regnet, trotzdem ich gehe raus.
Incorrect — no inversion after fronted trotzdem.
✅ Es regnet, trotzdem gehe ich raus.
It's raining; I'm going out anyway.
trotzdem is an adverb, so fronting it triggers V2 inversion just like deshalb.
❌ Warum bist du müde? Weil. Ich habe schlecht geschlafen.
Incorrect — weil as a standalone answer with a following V2 clause.
✅ Warum bist du müde? Weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe.
Why are you tired? Because I slept badly.
In writing, weil introduces a full subordinate clause with the verb at the end; don't leave it dangling as a one-word answer.
Key Takeaways
- German splits cause from consequence: weil / da ("because," verb-final) vs deshalb / deswegen / daher / darum ("therefore," V2).
- The "therefore" words are adverbs, so fronting one forces V2 inversion: Deshalb bin ich müde, never Deshalb ich bin müde.
- also means "so / therefore," NOT English "also" — use auch for "too / as well."
- trotzdem / dennoch ("nevertheless") and sonst ("otherwise") behave the same way and also invert when fronted.
- The da-compounds (dadurch, dabei, dazu) link sentences as cohesive consequence/manner markers.
- warum / wieso / weshalb ask "why"; wozu asks "for what purpose."
Now practice German
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning German→Related Topics
- Conjunctional Adverbs (deshalb, trotzdem, jedoch)B2 — The connectors that link clauses but behave as adverbs — deshalb, trotzdem, jedoch, also and the rest fill the Vorfeld and force verb inversion, unlike coordinators or subordinators.
- Causal Conjunctions: weil, da, dennB1 — German has three words for 'because' — weil, da, and denn — and they differ in both syntax (verb-final vs V2) and discourse (new vs known reason). Here's how to choose.
- Cohesion: Linking Sentences into DiscourseC1 — Conjunctional adverbs like deshalb and trotzdem fill the Vorfeld and force verb-inversion — unlike coordinating conjunctions, which sit outside the clause and don't — and together with pronouns and da-compounds they weave sentences into connected text.
- Verb-Second (V2): The Core Rule of German Word OrderA1 — The finite verb is always the second element in a German main clause — exactly one constituent precedes it, and the subject jumps behind the verb whenever something else is fronted.
- da-Compounds: dafür, damit, daraufB1 — How German fuses da(r)- with a preposition to refer back to a thing, why animacy decides between damit and mit ihm, and how to insert the linking -r-.
- warum, wieso, weshalb, wozu (Why)A2 — German has four 'why' words. warum/wieso/weshalb ask for a cause (answered with weil), while wozu asks for a purpose (answered with um…zu) — a cause/purpose split English's single 'why' hides.