If English comma rules feel like a matter of taste — some writers love them, some sprinkle them by ear — German comes as a relief and a challenge at once. German commas are grammatical, not rhythmic. They mark the boundaries of clauses, and most of the time a rule tells you exactly where one belongs. The central rule, and the one English speakers break constantly, is this: a comma is obligatory before every subordinate clause and every relative clause, no matter how short. Master that one rule and you will punctuate German more correctly than many native speakers.
The big rule: every subordinate clause gets a comma
A subordinate clause is one introduced by a subordinating conjunction (dass, weil, wenn, obwohl, damit, ob...) or a relative pronoun (der, die, das, welcher...). In German such clauses push the conjugated verb to the very end — and they are always fenced off from the main clause by a comma. English, by contrast, usually omits the comma before "that," "because," or a defining relative clause.
Ich weiß, dass du kommst.
I know (that) you're coming. — German requires the comma before dass; English has none.
Wir bleiben zu Hause, weil es regnet.
We're staying home because it's raining. — comma before weil is obligatory.
Ruf mich an, wenn du angekommen bist.
Call me when you've arrived. — comma before wenn.
Relative clauses: the comma English speakers always forget
A relative clause modifies a noun: the man who is standing there, the book that I read. In English, defining relative clauses (the ones that pick out which book) take no commas. German makes no such distinction — every relative clause is enclosed in commas, defining or not.
Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer.
The man who is standing there is my teacher. — both ends of the relative clause are commaed off.
Das Buch, das ich gestern gelesen habe, war fantastisch.
The book (that) I read yesterday was fantastic. — German needs the comma; English drops it entirely.
Die Stadt, in der ich aufgewachsen bin, liegt am Meer.
The town where I grew up lies by the sea. — a prepositional relative clause, still commaed.
Notice that when a relative clause sits inside the main clause, it needs commas on both sides — opening and closing — like a pair of parentheses.
Infinitive clauses with zu: when the comma is required
Infinitive constructions with zu follow a more nuanced rule, which the 1996 reform loosened. A comma is obligatory in three situations:
- The infinitive clause is introduced by
um,ohne,(an)statt, orals. - The main clause contains a correlate or pointer word (a Hinweiswort) such as
es,daran,darauf,damit. - The infinitive clause depends on a noun.
Otherwise (a bare zu-infinitive with no introducer and no correlate) the comma is now optional — though many writers still set one for clarity.
Ich gehe früh ins Bett, um morgen fit zu sein.
I'm going to bed early in order to be fit tomorrow. — um introduces it, comma obligatory.
Sie ging, ohne sich zu verabschieden.
She left without saying goodbye. — ohne introduces it, comma obligatory.
Ich freue mich darauf, dich bald wiederzusehen.
I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon. — the correlate darauf forces the comma.
Ich versuche zu schlafen.
I'm trying to sleep. — bare zu-infinitive, no comma needed (one is optional).
Coordinated main clauses: where the reform relaxed things
Two main clauses joined by und or oder traditionally took no comma, and that is still the default. Since the reform, a comma is optional there for clarity, but it is never wrong to leave it out. With the adversative conjunctions aber, sondern, denn, however, a comma is still set.
Ich koche, und du deckst den Tisch.
I'll cook and you set the table. — with und the comma is now optional (often omitted).
Ich wollte anrufen, aber mein Handy war leer.
I wanted to call, but my phone was dead. — comma before aber stays.
Wir gehen nicht ins Kino, sondern bleiben zu Hause.
We're not going to the cinema but staying home. — comma before sondern.
Quotation marks and the colon
German quotation marks are visually distinctive: the opening mark sits low on the line and the closing mark sits high — „…“. The shape is often described as 99 below at the start and 66 above at the end, the reverse of English's “…”. (In Switzerland and in much printed matter you will also see the French-style guillemets «…» or »…«.)
Sie sagte: „Ich komme gleich.“
She said, 'I'll be right there.' — low opening mark, high closing mark, and a colon introducing direct speech.
Direct speech is introduced by a colon, not a comma, and the quotation begins with a capital letter:
Der Kellner fragte: „Was darf ich Ihnen bringen?“
The waiter asked, 'What can I bring you?' — colon + low-high quotes + capitalized first word.
The colon also introduces lists and explanations, much as in English; whether the word after a colon is capitalized depends on whether a full sentence follows (a full sentence is capitalized; a mere list or phrase is not).
Wir brauchen noch drei Dinge: Mehl, Eier und Milch.
We still need three things: flour, eggs and milk. — list after a colon, lowercase continuation.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ich glaube dass es morgen regnet.
Incorrect — missing the obligatory comma before dass.
✅ Ich glaube, dass es morgen regnet.
I think it'll rain tomorrow. — every dass-clause is preceded by a comma.
❌ Das ist der Kollege der mir geholfen hat.
Incorrect — no comma before the relative clause (English habit).
✅ Das ist der Kollege, der mir geholfen hat.
That's the colleague who helped me. — relative clauses are always commaed in German.
❌ Er sagte, “Ich habe keine Zeit.”
Incorrect — English-style high quotes and a comma instead of a colon.
✅ Er sagte: „Ich habe keine Zeit.“
He said, 'I have no time.' — colon plus German low-high quotation marks.
❌ Sie blieb zu Hause, und las ein Buch.
Awkward — a comma where a simple und joins two predicates of one subject (no second subject).
✅ Sie blieb zu Hause und las ein Buch.
She stayed home and read a book. — no comma needed when und merely links verbs.
❌ Ich gehe joggen um fit zu bleiben.
Incorrect — missing the comma before an um … zu clause.
✅ Ich gehe joggen, um fit zu bleiben.
I go jogging in order to stay fit. — um … zu always takes a preceding comma.
Key Takeaways
- A comma is obligatory before every subordinate clause (
dass,weil,wenn,ob,obwohl…) and every relative clause, regardless of length — the rule English speakers most often violate. - Relative clauses inside a sentence are fenced on both sides, like parentheses.
- Infinitive clauses with
zuneed a comma when introduced byum/ohne/(an)statt/als, when a correlate (darauf,es) points to them, or when they depend on a noun; a barezu-infinitive's comma is optional. - With
aber/sondern/dennset a comma; withund/oderjoining two main clauses the comma is now optional. - Use German low-high quotation marks „…“ and introduce direct speech with a colon, capitalizing the first word.
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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.
- dass-Clauses and Complement ClausesB1 — A dass-clause is a subordinate clause that serves as the object of a verb of saying, thinking, or feeling — verb-final, comma before dass — alongside the ob-clause for indirect yes/no questions and the dass-less V2 variant of casual speech.
- Relative ClausesB1 — A German relative clause is introduced by der/die/das (gender and number from its antecedent, case from its job inside the clause), set off by commas, with the verb pushed to the very end — and the pronoun can never be dropped.
- 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.
- 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.
- The 1996 Spelling ReformB1 — The 1996 Rechtschreibreform (revised 2004/2006) redistributed ß/ss by vowel length, restored triple consonants in compounds (Schifffahrt), allowed more separate writing, and re-capitalized some fixed phrases — and you will still meet the old spellings in any pre-1996 book.