If coordinating conjunctions are the easy half of German clause-linking, subordinating conjunctions are the half that defines the language's reputation for "verb at the end." But the difficulty is concentrated in one place, and it is not the syntax. Every subordinating conjunction triggers exactly the same word order: the finite verb goes to the very end of its clause. There are no exceptions, no sub-rules, no special cases. Once you can recognize a word as a subordinator, the grammar is fully predictable. The real work is memorizing which words are subordinators — as opposed to coordinators (which leave word order alone) or conjunctional adverbs (which trigger inversion). This page gives you the list, organized by meaning, plus the one rule that governs all of them.
The one rule: finite verb to the end
A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause — a clause that cannot stand on its own. The conjunction counts as the first element of that clause, and the finite (conjugated) verb is pushed all the way to the back. In English, "because I am tired" keeps the verb where it normally sits; in German, weil ich müde bin, the verb bin lands at the very end.
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich müde bin.
I'm staying home because I'm tired. ('weil' sends 'bin' to the end)
Sie hofft, dass der Zug pünktlich kommt.
She hopes that the train comes on time. ('dass' sends 'kommt' to the end)
The clause is bounded by a comma at the front and the verb at the back — a frame the listener learns to recognize. When two verb parts are present (an auxiliary plus a participle or infinitive), the order at the end is: other verb part first, then the finite verb absolutely last.
Er sagt, dass er den Film schon gesehen hat.
He says that he has already seen the film. (participle 'gesehen', then finite 'hat' at the very end)
The categories
It helps to learn the subordinators grouped by the relationship they express. Here is the core inventory you need at B1, sorted by category.
| Category | Conjunctions | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Content / reported | dass, ob | that; whether/if |
| Causal (reason) | weil, da | because; since/as |
| Conditional | wenn, falls | if; in case |
| Temporal (time) | als, wenn, während, bevor, nachdem, bis, seit/seitdem, sobald | when, while, before, after, until, since, as soon as |
| Concessive | obwohl, obgleich | although |
| Final / purpose | damit | so that, in order that |
| Consecutive / result | sodass (so dass) | so that (as a result) |
| Modal / means | indem | by (doing) |
What unites this entire table is the verb-final consequence. Whether the relationship is cause, time, concession, or purpose, the verb still goes to the end. Let me show one example from several categories so the pattern sinks in across meanings.
Ich frage mich, ob das wirklich eine gute Idee ist.
I wonder whether that's really a good idea. (content clause with 'ob' — verb 'ist' last)
Wir gehen schwimmen, obwohl das Wasser ziemlich kalt ist.
We're going swimming although the water is pretty cold. (concessive 'obwohl' — verb 'ist' last)
Ich schreibe es dir auf, damit du es nicht vergisst.
I'll write it down for you, so that you don't forget it. (purpose 'damit' — verb 'vergisst' last)
Du verbesserst dein Deutsch, indem du jeden Tag liest.
You improve your German by reading every day. (means 'indem' — verb 'liest' last)
When the subordinate clause comes first
A dependent clause does not have to follow the main clause; it can come first. When it does, the whole subordinate clause fills the front field (Vorfeld) of the sentence and counts as the first element of the main clause. The consequence: the main clause's verb must come immediately after the comma, before its subject. This produces the characteristic "…, verb subject…" rhythm right at the comma — often described as "verb, verb" because the subordinate clause's final verb sits right next to the main clause's leading verb.
Weil ich müde bin, bleibe ich zu Hause.
Because I'm tired, I'm staying home. (subordinate clause in front; main verb 'bleibe' jumps before the subject 'ich')
Obwohl es regnet, gehen wir spazieren.
Although it's raining, we're going for a walk. (note '…regnet, gehen…' — the two verbs meet at the comma)
This fronting is a stylistic choice that emphasizes the dependent clause or its information. The verb-final order inside the subordinate clause never changes; only the main clause reacts.
Telling subordinators apart from the look-alikes
Because the syntax is automatic once you classify the word, the practical skill is classification. Three classes can all sit at a clause boundary, and they trigger three different word orders:
| Class | Examples | Effect on word order |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinating | und, oder, aber, denn, sondern | none — clause stays V2 |
| Subordinating | weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, … | finite verb to the end |
| Conjunctional adverb | deshalb, trotzdem, dann, außerdem | inversion — verb second, subject after |
The classic minimal pair is denn versus weil: both mean "because," but denn is coordinating (V2) and weil is subordinating (verb-final). Likewise trotzdem ("nevertheless") and obwohl ("although") both express concession, yet trotzdem is an adverb that inverts the verb while obwohl is a subordinator that sends it to the end. Knowing the category of the word tells you the syntax.
Es regnet, trotzdem gehen wir spazieren.
It's raining; we're going for a walk anyway. (adverb 'trotzdem' → inversion: verb 'gehen' second)
Wir gehen spazieren, obwohl es regnet.
We're going for a walk although it's raining. (subordinator 'obwohl' → verb 'regnet' last)
A note for English speakers
English has subordinating conjunctions too ("because," "although," "if," "that"), but they do nothing to the word order — the verb sits in its usual spot whether the clause is main or subordinate. That is the deep habit you must override. In German, the conjunction is a syntactic instruction, not just a meaning. Spotting "weil" or "obwohl" or "dass" should immediately reroute your mental sentence-planner to put the verb last. Many learners can recite the rule but still slip into English-style V2 in speech — especially after weil — so this is worth drilling until it is reflexive.
Common Mistakes
Keeping V2 after a subordinator — importing English word order, by far the most common error (especially after weil).
❌ Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich bin müde.
Incorrect — 'weil' is subordinating; the verb 'bin' must go to the end.
✅ Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich müde bin.
I'm staying home because I'm tired.
Forgetting to invert the main clause when the subordinate clause comes first.
❌ Wenn es regnet, ich bleibe zu Hause.
Incorrect — the fronted clause fills the front field, so the main verb must come before the subject: 'bleibe ich'.
✅ Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.
If it rains, I'll stay home.
Treating a conjunctional adverb like a subordinator — trotzdem and deshalb do not send the verb to the end; they invert it.
❌ Es war spät, trotzdem wir geblieben sind.
Incorrect — 'trotzdem' is an adverb and triggers inversion: 'sind wir geblieben'.
✅ Es war spät, trotzdem sind wir geblieben.
It was late; we stayed anyway.
Forgetting the comma before the subordinator — every subordinate clause is separated by a comma.
❌ Ich weiß dass du recht hast.
Incorrect — a comma is required before 'dass'.
✅ Ich weiß, dass du recht hast.
I know that you're right.
Key Takeaways
- All subordinating conjunctions trigger the same word order: the finite verb goes to the end of the clause.
- The core set spans causal (weil, da), conditional (wenn, falls), temporal (als, während, bevor, nachdem, bis, seit), concessive (obwohl), purpose (damit), result (sodass), means (indem), and content (dass, ob).
- When the subordinate clause comes first, it fills the front field and the main verb jumps before its subject.
- The real skill is classification: subordinators (verb-final) vs coordinators (V2) vs conjunctional adverbs (inversion).
- Always put a comma before the subordinator.
Now practice German
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- Verb-Final Order in Subordinate ClausesB1 — Why a subordinating conjunction sends the finite verb to the very end of the clause — and why in compound tenses the auxiliary lands dead last.
- 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.
- Coordinating Conjunctions (und, aber, oder, denn, sondern)A1 — The five coordinating conjunctions — und, aber, oder, denn, sondern — link two equal main clauses without touching the word order: the verb stays in second position in both.
- Temporal Conjunctions: als, wenn, während, bevor, nachdem, bis, seitB1 — The time conjunctions all send the verb to the end, but each marks a precise relationship — and the als/wenn split for the past is one of the top intermediate errors.
- als vs wenn vs wannB1 — How to choose among the three German words for 'when': wann for questions, als for a single past event, wenn for repeated past, present, future, and conditions.
- Adverbial Subordinate ClausesB2 — Adverbial clauses express time, cause, concession, condition, purpose, result, and manner through subordinating conjunctions — all verb-final — and when fronted they fill the Vorfeld, so the main-clause verb comes right after the comma.