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### Position 0 and *oder* (or)

To connect two independent sentences, German uses coordinating conjunctions. When you join sentences with these words, the word order in both sentences stays exactly the same.

The conjunction sits between the two clauses in what is called **Position 0**. It is "invisible" to the standard verb position rules. Because it occupies Position 0, the next word (usually the subject) takes Position 1, and the conjugated verb safely lands in its required Position 2.

Use the conjunction **oder** (or) to present alternatives. Notice how the subject (**wir**) and the verb (**bleiben**) keep their standard positions right after **oder**:

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### Giving Reasons with *denn* (because)

Use **denn** (because) to explain why something is happening. It connects two complete main clauses. In German, you must always place a comma before **denn**.

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### Showing Contrast with *aber* (but)

Use **aber** to show a contrast or exception. Just like **denn**, it acts as a Position-0 conjunction and requires a comma before it when connecting two complete sentences.

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### Adding Information with *und* (and)

The conjunction **und** connects ideas by adding information. When connecting two complete sentences with **und** (or **oder**), a comma is technically optional, but it is sometimes used for clarity to separate the two independent clauses.

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Coordinating conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (der, die, das)

Indefinite articles (ein, eine)

Regular verbs and statement word order (ich -e, er -t)

The second person (du -st, Sie -en)

Yes/No questions

The verb 'to have' (habe, hast, hat)

Plural pronouns and regular verbs (wir, ihr, sie)

Plural 'to be' and 'to have' (sind, haben)

Plural nouns and the plural article (die)

Sentence negation (nicht)

Noun negation (kein, keine)

Question words (wer, was, wo, wie)

Numbers 0 to 12 (null, eins, zwei)

The accusative case (den, die, das)

Indefinite accusative articles (einen, keinen)

Direct object pronouns (mich, dich, ihn)

There is / there are (es gibt)

Vowel changes: e to i/ie (er spricht, sie liest)

Vowel changes: a to ä (er fährt)

Weather and conditions (es regnet)

First- and second-person possessives in the nominative (mein, dein, Ihr)

First- and second-person possessives in the accusative (meinen, deinen, Ihren)

Third-person and plural possessives (sein, ihr, unser, euer)

Possession with names (Annas Auto)

Demonstrative pronouns (dieser, diese, dieses)

Expressing preference (gern, lieber)

Asking about direction and origin (woher, wohin)

Expressing ability (können)

Polite requests (möchten)

Expressing intention (wollen)

Modal verbs of obligation and permission (müssen, dürfen)

Separable prefix verbs

Adverbs of frequency (immer, oft, manchmal, nie)

The Dative case and definite articles (dem, der, den)

Dative indefinite and negative articles (einem, einer, keinem)

Dative personal pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr...)

Dative verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen, schmecken)

Dative prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach...)

Accusative prepositions (für, ohne, gegen)

Two-way prepositions for location (in, an, auf...)

Informal singular imperative (mach, komm)

Plural and formal imperative (macht, machen Sie)

Simple past of sein and haben (war, hatte)

The perfect tense: regular verbs (gemacht, gespielt)

Past tense: irregular verbs (ge-...-en)

The perfect tense: mixed verbs (gebracht, gekannt)

The perfect tense with sein (ist gegangen)

The perfect tense: separable verbs (eingekauft)

The perfect tense: inseparable and -ieren verbs (besucht, studiert)

Informal singular commands (mach, lern)

Numbers 13 to 20 (dreizehn to zwanzig)

Counting by tens to 100 (dreißig, vierzig)

Telling time (Uhr, halb, Viertel, vor, nach)

Numbers 21 to 99 (einundzwanzig, zweiunddreißig)

Greetings and farewells

Thank you, sorry and good wishes

Everyday replies

Numbers 100 to 1,000,000 (hundert, tausend...)

Becoming and getting (werden)

The impersonal pronoun (man)

Indefinite pronouns (jemand, niemand...)

Time sequence prepositions (vor, nach, bei)

Time span prepositions (von... bis, seit, für)

Adverbs of sequence (zuerst, dann, danach)

Two-way prepositions for direction (in, auf, an...)

Directional adverbs (hin, her)

Placement verbs (setzen, stellen, legen)

Months of the year (Januar, Februar)

The four seasons (Frühling, Sommer)

Time prepositions and indefinite pronouns (an, in, um)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 19th (am ersten)

Ordinals 20th and beyond (-ste, -sten)

Placement vs. location verbs (stellen vs. stehen)

Accusative reflexive pronouns (mich, dich, sich)

Accusative reflexive verbs (sich freuen)

Dative reflexive pronouns (mir, dir, sich)

Dative reflexive verbs (sich etwas merken)

Ordinal numbers 11th to 19th (-te)

Temporal prepositions (an, in, um)

Double objects with nouns

Double objects with pronouns

The modal verb for advice (sollen)

Simple past of modal verbs (musste, wollte...)

Simple past of common irregulars (wurde, wusste, es gab)

Adverbial connectors of consequence (deshalb, darum...)

Subordinate clauses for statements (dass)

Subordinate clauses for reasons (weil)

Question	Answer
or	oder
We are flying to Spain, or we are staying here.	Wir fliegen nach Spanien, oder wir bleiben hier.
because	denn
The man is not reading, because he is tired.	Der Mann liest nicht, denn er ist müde.
sick	krank
She is not helping him, because she is sick.	Sie hilft ihm nicht, denn sie ist krank.
healthy	gesund
I eat a lot of fruit, because it is healthy.	Ich esse viel Obst, denn es ist gesund.
We are cooking together, because it is fun.	Wir kochen zusammen, denn es macht Spaß.
cheap	billig
This computer is cheap, but it works well.	Dieser Computer ist billig, aber er funktioniert gut.
The hotel is expensive, because it is new.	Das Hotel ist teuer, denn es ist neu.
dark	dunkel
bright	hell
The room is dark, but the living room is bright.	Das Zimmer ist dunkel, aber das Wohnzimmer ist hell.
It is dark, because the sun is not shining.	Es ist dunkel, denn die Sonne scheint nicht.
The weather is bad, and it is raining outside.	Das Wetter ist schlecht, und es regnet draußen.
The idea is good, but it is expensive.	Die Idee ist gut, aber sie ist teuer.
the solution	die Lösung
We need a solution, because we have a problem.	Wir brauchen eine Lösung, denn wir haben ein Problem.
I have time, but I have no money.	Ich habe Zeit, aber ich habe kein Geld.
The restaurant is good, but it is too expensive.	Das Restaurant ist gut, aber es ist zu teuer.
The dog is sick or he is tired.	Der Hund ist krank oder er ist müde.
The apple is healthy and it is cheap.	Der Apfel ist gesund und er ist billig.
sure / certain	sicher
The room is bright, but it is not safe.	Das Zimmer ist hell, aber es ist nicht sicher.
the mistake	der Fehler
I have the solution, because I know the mistake.	Ich habe die Lösung, denn ich kenne den Fehler.
We are making no mistake and I am sure.	Wir machen keinen Fehler und ich bin sicher.
so, therefore	also
I am ill, so I am staying at home.	Ich bin krank, also bleibe ich zu Hause.
It is late, so we are going home.	Es ist spät, also gehen wir nach Hause.
for example	zum Beispiel
We learn a lot, for example German.	Wir lernen viel, zum Beispiel Deutsch.
We drink something, for example coffee.	Wir trinken etwas, zum Beispiel Kaffee.
the thing, the matter	die Sache
The matter is important.	Die Sache ist wichtig.
That is a different matter.	Das ist eine andere Sache.
the example	das Beispiel
The teacher always gives a good example.	Der Lehrer gibt immer ein gutes Beispiel.
This example is very good.	Dieses Beispiel ist sehr gut.

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