German has a whole class of words that look like conjunctions — they connect one clause to the next and translate as "therefore," "however," "nevertheless," "besides" — but grammatically they are adverbs. Called Konjunktionaladverbien (conjunctional adverbs), they sit at the front of an independent main clause, fill the first slot (the Vorfeld), and therefore trigger verb-second inversion: the finite verb comes right after them and the subject moves behind it. This is a third word-order pattern, distinct from both coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, and getting it wrong is one of the most persistent B1–B2 errors.
Three classes, three behaviors
Before the list, fix the contrast in your mind. German connectors fall into three syntactic camps, and the word order is the giveaway:
| Type | Examples | Position | Verb order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinating conjunction | und, aber, denn, oder, sondern | Position zero (between clauses) | Unchanged — V2 |
| Subordinating conjunction | weil, obwohl, dass, wenn | First element of its own clause | Verb to the END |
| Conjunctional adverb | deshalb, trotzdem, jedoch, also | Vorfeld (position one) | Verb SECOND (inversion) |
A conjunctional adverb is neither glue-between-clauses (position zero, no effect) nor a verb-final trigger. It is a regular sentence element that happens to mean "therefore" or "however," and because it occupies position one, the verb must follow in position two — exactly as it would after any fronted element.
Causal-result: deshalb, deswegen, daher, darum, somit
This family means "therefore, for that reason." The four core members — deshalb, deswegen, daher, darum — are near-synonyms; somit and folglich ("consequently") are more formal. The cause comes first, then the adverb introduces the consequence in the Vorfeld, and the verb inverts.
Es hat die ganze Nacht geregnet; deshalb blieben wir zu Hause.
It rained all night; therefore we stayed home. ('deshalb' fills position one → verb second 'blieben', subject 'wir' after)
Der Zug fiel aus, daher mussten wir ein Taxi nehmen.
The train was cancelled, so we had to take a taxi. (inversion: 'mussten wir')
Die Zahlen sind eindeutig, somit ist die Sache entschieden.
The figures are clear; the matter is thus decided. (formal 'somit'; inversion 'ist die Sache')
Compare this with the subordinator weil: Wir blieben zu Hause, weil es regnete (verb-final) says the same thing the other way round. deshalb puts the consequence in focus and inverts; weil puts the cause in a verb-final clause.
Concessive: trotzdem, dennoch
trotzdem ("nevertheless, anyway") and the more formal dennoch concede an obstacle and assert the result anyway. They invert just like the causal adverbs.
Sie war erkältet; trotzdem ging sie zur Arbeit.
She had a cold; nevertheless she went to work. (inversion: 'ging sie')
Der Weg war lang und steil; dennoch erreichten wir den Gipfel vor Sonnenuntergang.
The path was long and steep; nevertheless we reached the summit before sunset. (formal 'dennoch'; inversion 'erreichten wir')
Do not confuse trotzdem with the subordinator obwohl ("although"), which is verb-final. Obwohl sie erkältet war, ging sie zur Arbeit and Sie war erkältet, trotzdem ging sie zur Arbeit mean the same thing but obey opposite word orders — obwohl sends the verb to the end, trotzdem inverts it.
Contrast: jedoch, allerdings, hingegen
jedoch ("however"), allerdings ("though, admittedly"), and hingegen ("on the other hand") flag a contrast. They are more flexible in placement than the causal adverbs — jedoch and allerdings can stand in the Vorfeld (with inversion) or mid-clause (no inversion).
Das Angebot klingt gut; allerdings ist es nicht ganz billig.
The offer sounds good; however, it isn't exactly cheap. (Vorfeld 'allerdings' → inversion 'ist es')
Er hat zugesagt; sein Bruder jedoch hat abgelehnt.
He agreed; his brother, however, declined. ('jedoch' sits mid-clause here, so no inversion)
The second example shows the flexibility: when jedoch slips into the middle of the clause (after the subject), it no longer fills the Vorfeld, so there is no inversion. This mid-field placement is common with jedoch and lends a more formal, written tone.
Addition: außerdem, zudem, ferner
außerdem ("besides, in addition"), zudem (formal "moreover"), and ferner (formal/literary "furthermore") add a further point. Fronted, they invert.
Die Wohnung ist günstig; außerdem liegt sie sehr zentral.
The flat is affordable; besides, it's very centrally located. (inversion: 'liegt sie')
Der Bericht ist unvollständig; zudem fehlen die Quellenangaben.
The report is incomplete; moreover, the source references are missing. (formal 'zudem'; inversion 'fehlen')
The false friend: also
This is the one that ambushes every English speaker. German also does not mean English "also." It means "so, therefore, thus" — a conclusion-drawing connector. English "also" (= "in addition") is German auch. The two are completely unrelated, and confusing them produces nonsense.
Du bist müde; also geh ins Bett.
You're tired; so go to bed. ('also' = 'so/therefore', NOT English 'also'; here with an imperative)
Die Geschäfte haben zu, also kaufen wir morgen ein.
The shops are closed, so we'll shop tomorrow. (conclusion 'also' → inversion 'kaufen wir')
Ich war krank und außerdem hatte ich viel zu tun.
I was ill, and besides I had a lot to do. (English 'also/besides' = German 'außerdem' or 'auch' — never 'also')
sonst (otherwise) — the warning connector
sonst ("otherwise, or else") introduces the negative consequence of not doing something. Fronted, it inverts.
Beeil dich, sonst verpassen wir den Bus.
Hurry up, or else we'll miss the bus. (inversion: 'verpassen wir')
Why they all invert — the underlying logic
There is a single principle behind every example on this page: German is a verb-second language in main clauses, which means exactly one element stands before the finite verb. A conjunctional adverb is a full sentence element — it answers "why?" (deshalb), "despite what?" (trotzdem), "and what else?" (außerdem). When you place it first, you have used up the one pre-verb slot, so the subject is displaced to after the verb. English connectors like "therefore" and "however" are parenthetical add-ons that do not occupy a grammatical slot, so the subject stays put: "therefore we stayed." German treats the adverb as occupying real syntactic space, and the verb-second rule does the rest.
Common Mistakes
Treating a conjunctional adverb like an English connector (no inversion).
❌ Es war spät, deshalb wir gingen nach Hause.
Incorrect — 'deshalb' fills the Vorfeld and forces inversion: 'gingen wir nach Hause.'
✅ Es war spät, deshalb gingen wir nach Hause.
It was late, so we went home.
Confusing also (so/therefore) with English 'also'.
❌ Ich war hungrig und ich habe also einen Kuchen gegessen.
Incorrect for 'I was hungry and I ALSO ate a cake' — 'also' means 'therefore', not 'as well'. Use 'auch'.
✅ Ich war hungrig und ich habe auch einen Kuchen gegessen.
I was hungry and I ate a cake as well.
Treating trotzdem as a subordinator (verb to the end).
❌ Es regnete, trotzdem wir spazieren gingen.
Incorrect — 'trotzdem' is an adverb, not 'obwohl'; the verb is second: 'gingen wir spazieren.'
✅ Es regnete, trotzdem gingen wir spazieren.
It rained; we went for a walk anyway.
Putting the subject before the verb after a fronted jedoch.
❌ Das Wetter war schlecht, jedoch wir sind gefahren.
Incorrect — fronted 'jedoch' inverts the verb: 'sind wir gefahren' (or move 'jedoch' mid-clause).
✅ Das Wetter war schlecht, jedoch sind wir gefahren.
The weather was bad; however, we drove anyway.
Key Takeaways
- Conjunctional adverbs (deshalb, deswegen, daher, darum, somit, trotzdem, dennoch, jedoch, allerdings, außerdem, zudem, also, sonst) are adverbs, not conjunctions.
- Placed in the Vorfeld, they fill position one and force verb-second inversion: deshalb *blieben wir*.
- They are a third class, distinct from coordinators (position zero, no effect) and subordinators (verb-final).
- also is a false friend = "so / therefore"; English "also" (in addition) is auch.
- jedoch and allerdings may also sit mid-clause, where there is no inversion — a more formal, written option.
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- Coordinating vs Subordinating Conjunctions and Word OrderB1 — The conjunction you choose dictates the word order: coordinating conjunctions leave V2 untouched, subordinating ones send the verb to the end — and 'denn' vs 'weil' proves it.
- 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.
- Conversational Connectors (also, na ja, übrigens, jedenfalls)B1 — The little words that organize German talk — also (so/well, NOT English 'also'), na ja (well...), übrigens (by the way), jedenfalls (anyway), genau, tja.
- Conceding and Contrasting (zwar, allerdings, dennoch)B2 — How German concedes a point and then counters it — the zwar…aber frame, the qualifying allerdings ('mind you'), the concessive adverbs dennoch and trotzdem, formal jedoch and gleichwohl, and subordinating obwohl — with the V2 word order that trips up English speakers.
- Concessive and Conditional ConjunctionsB1 — How German says 'although' and 'if' — obwohl sends the verb to the end, trotzdem inverts it, and German can drop wenn entirely by putting the verb first.