At C1 the gap between learners is rarely about basic grammar — it is about connective tissue. The writers who sound educated are the ones who can chain ideas with the right formal linker and put its verb in the right place. German's written and academic register has a rich inventory of multiword subordinators (so dass, ohne dass, anstatt dass, je nachdem ob) and adverbial connectors (infolgedessen, demzufolge, nichtsdestotrotz, hingegen, vielmehr). They are not decoration: each one has a fixed meaning, a fixed register, and — crucially — a fixed word-order class that determines where the finite verb lands. Misjudge the class and the sentence collapses. This page sorts them by both meaning and syntax.
Two classes, two word orders
Every connector in this set belongs to one of two grammatical families, and they behave completely differently:
- Subordinating phrases (so dass, ohne dass, anstatt dass, außer dass, kaum dass, je nachdem ob). These open a subordinate clause, so the finite verb goes to the very end: ..., ohne dass er es merkte.
- Adverbial connectors (infolgedessen, demzufolge, nichtsdestotrotz, hingegen, vielmehr). These are adverbs, not conjunctions. They occupy the first position of a main clause, which means the verb comes second (verb-second inversion): Infolgedessen *stieg der Preis.*
Confusing the two is the classic C1 mistake — treating an adverbial connector as if it were a conjunction and forgetting to invert the verb. Keep the two columns mentally separate.
| Class | Members | Verb position |
|---|---|---|
| Subordinating phrase | so dass, ohne dass, anstatt dass, außer dass, kaum dass, je nachdem ob | finite verb at the end |
| Adverbial connector | infolgedessen, demzufolge, nichtsdestotrotz, hingegen, vielmehr, gleichwohl | verb second (inversion after the connector) |
Subordinating phrases with dass
so dass — result
so dass (also written sodass; both spellings are accepted in standard orthography) introduces a consequence: X happens, with the result that Y. It is the workhorse result-connector of formal prose:
Die Brücke wurde gesperrt, so dass der gesamte Verkehr umgeleitet werden musste.
The bridge was closed, so that all traffic had to be rerouted.
When the so is pulled into the main clause and attached to an adjective or adverb, it intensifies and the result clause carries the bare dass: Er war *so erschöpft, dass er sofort einschlief.*
ohne dass and (an)statt dass — the different-subject forms
Here is the systematic insight competitors skip. German has a clean same-subject / different-subject alternation running through its connector system. When the two clauses share a subject, German uses the lean infinitive constructions ohne zu and (an)statt zu. When the subjects differ, it switches to the full clauses ohne dass and (an)statt dass with a finite verb. This exactly parallels the um zu / damit split for purpose: same subject → infinitive, different subject → dass-clause.
Sie verließ den Raum, ohne sich zu verabschieden.
She left the room without saying goodbye. (same subject — ohne zu)
Sie verließ den Raum, ohne dass es jemand bemerkte.
She left the room without anyone noticing. (different subject — ohne dass)
The first sentence has one subject (sie leaves and sie would say goodbye), so the infinitive ohne ... zu is used. In the second, sie leaves but jemand notices — two subjects — so German must switch to ohne dass with the finite verb bemerkte at the end. The same logic governs (an)statt dass:
Anstatt dass die Regierung handelte, schob man die Verantwortung weiter.
Instead of the government taking action, responsibility was passed on. (different subjects — anstatt dass)
Other dass-phrases: außer dass, kaum dass, je nachdem ob
These round out the family. außer dass ("except that") marks an exception; kaum dass ("no sooner than / hardly had ...") marks immediate succession and is distinctly (literary); je nachdem ob / wie ("depending on whether / how") introduces a conditional dependency.
Der Plan war gut, außer dass niemand an die Kosten gedacht hatte.
The plan was good, except that nobody had thought about the costs.
Kaum dass er eingetreten war, verstummten alle Gespräche.
No sooner had he entered than all conversation fell silent. (literary)
Je nachdem ob es regnet, findet das Fest drinnen oder draußen statt.
Depending on whether it rains, the festival will be held indoors or outdoors.
All three send the verb to the end, like every dass-phrase.
Adverbial connectors
Consequence: infolgedessen, demzufolge
infolgedessen ("consequently, as a result") and demzufolge ("accordingly, according to which") are heavyweight (formal/academic) result-linkers. Because they are adverbs, they trigger verb-second:
Die Nachfrage brach ein; infolgedessen mussten mehrere Werke schließen.
Demand collapsed; consequently, several plants had to close.
Die Studie war methodisch fehlerhaft; demzufolge sind ihre Ergebnisse mit Vorsicht zu genießen.
The study was methodologically flawed; accordingly, its results should be treated with caution.
Notice mussten and sind sit in second position directly after the connector — not at the end. That is the hallmark of the adverbial class.
Concession: nichtsdestotrotz, gleichwohl
nichtsdestotrotz and the slightly more elevated gleichwohl both mean "nevertheless, even so." They concede a point and push on. Both are (formal/written):
Die Risiken waren bekannt; nichtsdestotrotz wurde das Projekt genehmigt.
The risks were known; nevertheless, the project was approved.
Er hatte kaum geübt; gleichwohl bestand er die Prüfung mühelos.
He had hardly practiced; even so, he passed the exam with ease. (formal/literary)
Contrast: hingegen, vielmehr
hingegen ("by contrast, on the other hand") sets one statement against another; vielmehr ("rather, on the contrary") corrects an expectation and replaces it with the true case. Both are characteristic of analytical prose:
Die Exporte stiegen deutlich; die Binnennachfrage hingegen blieb schwach.
Exports rose sharply; domestic demand, by contrast, remained weak.
Es ging ihm nicht um Geld; vielmehr wollte er ein Zeichen setzen.
It wasn't about money for him; rather, he wanted to make a statement.
Hingegen is flexible: it can stand in first position or, as here, slip into the middle of the clause after the subject — a stylistic option the dass-phrases never have.
Paired correlatives: einerseits ... andererseits
For balanced two-sided argument, German offers two parallel correlative pairs: einerseits ... andererseits ("on the one hand ... on the other hand") and the slightly drier zum einen ... zum anderen ("for one thing ... for another"). Each member sits in the first position of its clause, so each triggers verb-second:
Einerseits möchte ich mehr verdienen, andererseits will ich nicht ständig arbeiten.
On the one hand I'd like to earn more, on the other hand I don't want to work all the time.
Die Reform ist zum einen teuer, zum anderen politisch umstritten.
The reform is, for one thing, expensive, and for another, politically controversial.
These are the structural backbone of essay-style writing. Because both halves are main clauses linked by adverbs, the verb stays in second position in each — never at the end.
A note on register
Everything on this page belongs to written, formal, or academic German. In casual conversation these words sound stilted or pompous: nobody texts a friend Infolgedessen komme ich später or says Nichtsdestotrotz over a beer. Spoken German prefers the plain connectors — deshalb, deswegen, trotzdem, aber, oder — and the modal particles. The skill at C1 is register matching: deploy infolgedessen and gleichwohl in an essay or report, but switch to deshalb and trotzdem when you speak. Using the formal linkers in the wrong setting is not a grammar error, but it makes you sound like you are reading aloud from a brochure.
Common Mistakes
❌ Sie ging weg, ohne dass zu grüßen.
Incorrect — same subject calls for the infinitive ohne zu, not ohne dass.
✅ Sie ging weg, ohne sich zu verabschieden.
She left without saying goodbye.
When both actions share a subject, use the infinitive ohne zu. Reserve ohne dass for genuinely different subjects (ohne dass jemand es merkte).
❌ Infolgedessen der Preis stieg.
Incorrect — infolgedessen is an adverb, so the verb must come second.
✅ Infolgedessen stieg der Preis.
Consequently, the price rose.
Adverbial connectors trigger verb-second inversion. The finite verb (stieg) follows the connector immediately; the subject comes after it.
❌ Nichtsdestotrotz dass es regnete, gingen wir spazieren.
Incorrect — nichtsdestotrotz is not a subordinator and cannot take dass.
✅ Es regnete; nichtsdestotrotz gingen wir spazieren.
It was raining; nevertheless, we went for a walk.
Nichtsdestotrotz is an adverb that links two independent statements. To subordinate ("although it rained"), use obwohl instead.
❌ So dass ich verstehe nicht das Problem.
Incorrect — so dass opens a subordinate clause; the verb must be final.
✅ Er erklärte es noch einmal, so dass ich das Problem verstand.
He explained it once more, so that I understood the problem.
After so dass the finite verb (verstand) goes to the end of the clause.
❌ Einerseits ich will reisen, andererseits ich habe kein Geld.
Incorrect — each half is a main clause with einerseits/andererseits in first position, so the verb must invert.
✅ Einerseits will ich reisen, andererseits habe ich kein Geld.
On the one hand I want to travel, on the other I have no money.
Both einerseits and andererseits occupy first position, so the verb (will, habe) moves to second place in each clause.
Key Takeaways
- Sort every connector into one of two classes: subordinating phrases (verb to the end) or adverbial connectors (verb second).
- dass-phrases — so dass, ohne dass, (an)statt dass, außer dass, kaum dass, je nachdem ob — send the verb final.
- ohne dass and (an)statt dass are the different-subject counterparts of ohne zu / statt zu; switch to them only when the second clause has a new subject.
- Adverbial linkers — infolgedessen, demzufolge, nichtsdestotrotz, gleichwohl, hingegen, vielmehr — are adverbs that trigger verb-second inversion.
- All of these are formal/written/academic; in speech, use deshalb, trotzdem, aber, oder instead.
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- um...zu, ohne...zu, (an)statt...zuB1 — The three infinitive conjunctions for purpose, 'without doing', and 'instead of doing' — and the same-subject rule that forces damit when subjects differ.
- Purpose and Result: damit, um...zu, sodassB2 — How German distinguishes intended purpose (damit, um...zu) from actual result (sodass) — and why the choice between damit and um...zu depends entirely on whether the two clauses share a subject.
- Formal and Written Discourse ConnectorsC1 — The single-word connectors that structure academic and official German — sequencing (zunächst, abschließend), addition (des Weiteren, ferner), contrast (hingegen, allerdings), result (folglich, infolgedessen), and concession (gleichwohl, nichtsdestoweniger) — most triggering verb inversion.
- 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.
- Spoken vs Written GermanB2 — The systematic grammatical split between spoken and written German — Perfekt vs Präteritum, von+dative vs genitive, parataxis and weil-V2, contractions and modal particles vs Nominalstil and Konjunktiv I — and the conceptual Nähe/Distanz dimension behind it.
- 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.