Comma and Punctuation Errors | German Grammar

English comma rules are largely about rhythm and taste: you add a comma where a reader would pause, and most of them are optional. German comma rules are syntactic and obligatory — a comma fences off a clause because of its grammatical type, not because it sounds right. English speakers therefore under-punctuate German (leaving out commas the grammar demands) and reach for English-style quotation marks. This page leads with the two highest-value points your other Common Mistakes pages don't cover — the comma before extended zu-clauses and the German quotation marks — then sweeps up the lighter slips. The comma before dass, weil, and relative clauses is covered in depth on errors/subordinate-clause-errors; we only touch it here.

1. The obligatory comma before an extended zu-infinitive clause

This is the highest-value rule on the page. When a zu-infinitive clause is extended — introduced by um, ohne, (an)statt, or als + zu, or when it carries its own objects/complements after a verb that governs it — German puts a comma in front of it. With um/ohne/(an)statt/als … zu, the comma is obligatory, no exceptions.

❌ Ich gehe joggen um fit zu bleiben.

Incorrect — an um…zu clause must be fenced off with a comma.

✅ Ich gehe joggen, um fit zu bleiben.

I go jogging in order to stay fit.

❌ Er ging ohne sich zu verabschieden.

Incorrect — ohne…zu also requires the comma.

✅ Er ging, ohne sich zu verabschieden.

He left without saying goodbye.

✅ Ich rufe an, um einen Termin zu vereinbaren.

I'm calling to arrange an appointment.

✅ Statt zu lernen, hat er den ganzen Abend gezockt.

Instead of studying, he gamed all evening.

The rule reflects the German principle that every subordinate or infinitive clause is a self-contained syntactic unit that must be visually closed off. A bare zu-infinitive (no um/ohne/statt, no own complements) is the one place the comma is now optional under the post-1996 reform:

✅ Ich versuche zu schlafen. / Ich versuche, zu schlafen.

I'm trying to sleep. — bare zu-infinitive, comma optional

But add any material and you should set the comma to keep the clause clear: Ich versuche, jeden Abend früh einzuschlafen.

💡

With um / ohne / (an)statt / als … zu the comma is obligatory — always. A bare zu-infinitive (versuche zu kommen) is the only case where it's optional. When in doubt, set the comma; an extended infinitive clause is never wrong with one.

2. German quotation marks: „low-high“, not "straight"

German does not use English-style quotation marks. The standard pair is the Gänsefüßchen ("little goose feet"): the opening mark sits low on the line and the closing mark sits high — „so“. The opening character is „ (U+201E) and the closing is “ (U+201C). An equally correct alternative, common in Swiss usage and in print, is the guillemets »…«.

❌ Er sagte: “Ich komme gleich.”

Incorrect — English curly quotes; German uses the low-high pair.

✅ Er sagte: „Ich komme gleich.“

He said: 'I'll be right there.'

✅ „Wann fängt der Film an?“, fragte sie.

'When does the film start?' she asked.

Two placement points English speakers miss:

Direct speech is introduced with a colon, then the low-high quotes: Er sagte: „…“.
When the quotation is followed by a reporting clause (…, sagte er), a comma goes after the closing mark (after ? or ! there is no extra comma, just the closing quote then the comma): „Komm her“, sagte sie.

✅ „Das schaffen wir“, sagte er ruhig.

'We'll manage that,' he said calmly.

3. Numbers: decimal comma and thousands separator

German swaps the roles of the comma and the point in numbers. The decimal separator is a comma, and thousands are grouped with a point (or a thin space). So English 3.5 becomes German 3,5, and English 1,000,000 becomes 1.000.000. Currency follows suit: 3,50 €.

❌ Das kostet 3.50 Euro und wiegt 1,5 kg ... (mixed up)

Incorrect — English-style point as decimal; German uses a comma.

✅ Das kostet 3,50 Euro und wiegt 1,5 Kilo.

That costs 3.50 euros and weighs 1.5 kilos.

✅ Die Stadt hat etwa 1.200.000 Einwohner.

The city has about 1,200,000 inhabitants.

For more time and number traps, see errors/number-and-time-errors.

4. No comma before und/oder joining two main clauses

English speakers, trained on serial commas and on pausing before "and," often insert a comma before und or oder. In modern German that comma is not placed in a simple list, and when und/oder join two complete main clauses the comma is optional and usually omitted.

❌ Ich kaufe Brot, Käse, und Wein.

Incorrect — no serial comma before und in a list.

✅ Ich kaufe Brot, Käse und Wein.

I'm buying bread, cheese and wine.

✅ Ich koche und du deckst den Tisch.

I'll cook and you set the table. — two main clauses, comma optional, normally omitted

You may add a comma before und between two main clauses for clarity, but unlike English's serial habit, the default is to leave it out.

5. The one subordinate-clause reminder

Although the full treatment lives on errors/subordinate-clause-errors, the contrast is too important to skip entirely: every subordinate clause (dass, weil, wenn, ob …) and every relative clause is fenced off with a comma — there is no optionality here, unlike English, where "that"-clauses take no comma.

❌ Ich weiß dass du recht hast.

Incorrect — a dass-clause is always set off by a comma in German.

✅ Ich weiß, dass du recht hast.

I know that you're right.

✅ Das Buch, das ich gerade lese, ist spannend.

The book (that) I'm reading right now is exciting.

Note that English routinely drops the relative pronoun and the comma ("the book I'm reading"); German keeps both the pronoun (das) and the commas.

English contrast in one sentence

English commas mostly mark pauses and are largely optional; German commas mark syntactic boundaries — every subordinate, relative, and extended zu-infinitive clause is obligatorily fenced off — and German also uses visually different „low-high“ quotation marks plus a comma (not a point) for decimals.

Common Mistakes (recap)

❌ Sie blieb zu Hause um sich auszuruhen.

Incorrect — missing obligatory comma before the um…zu clause.

✅ Sie blieb zu Hause, um sich auszuruhen.

She stayed home to rest.

❌ Der Kellner fragte “Was darf es sein?”

Incorrect — English quotes and missing colon; needs : „ … “

✅ Der Kellner fragte: „Was darf es sein?“

The waiter asked: 'What can I get you?'

❌ Der Eintritt kostet 12.50 €.

Incorrect — German uses a decimal comma: 12,50 €.

✅ Der Eintritt kostet 12,50 €.

Admission costs 12.50 euros.

❌ Wir brauchen Eier, Mehl, und Zucker.

Incorrect — no serial comma before und.

✅ Wir brauchen Eier, Mehl und Zucker.

We need eggs, flour and sugar.

❌ Ich hoffe dass es klappt.

Incorrect — the dass-clause needs its comma.

✅ Ich hoffe, dass es klappt.

I hope (that) it works out.

Key Takeaways

The comma before um / ohne / (an)statt / als … zu is obligatory; only a bare zu-infinitive can go without one.
German quotation marks are „low-opening, high-closing“ (or »guillemets«), introduced after a colon, with a comma after the closing mark before a reporting clause.
Decimals use a comma (3,5) and thousands a point (1.000.000).
No serial comma before und/oder; the comma between two main clauses joined by und is optional and usually omitted.
Every subordinate and relative clause is obligatorily set off by commas — see errors/subordinate-clause-errors for the full rule.

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