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When you want to present two mutually exclusive options—stating that one thing is true, or another, but not both—you use a two-part conjunction. In English, we say "either ... or". In German, the equivalent is **entweder ... oder**.

### Connecting nouns and objects

Most of the time, you will use **entweder ... oder** to connect two nouns within a single sentence. The structure is just like English: place *entweder* directly before the first option, and *oder* before the second.

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This structure is especially useful when discussing academic paths, such as picking between two university subjects.

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You can use the exact same pattern to contrast different types of classes or university degrees.

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### Connecting actions

You can also use **entweder ... oder** to present a choice between two actions or longer phrases. Simply place the conjunctions right in front of the actions being compared.

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Either/or (entweder ... oder)

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)

Coordinating conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn)

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)

Question	Answer
either	entweder
the computer science	die Informatik
the subject	das Fach
I am studying either computer science or another subject.	Ich studiere entweder Informatik oder ein anderes Fach.
the biology	die Biologie
the physics	die Physik
If you want, you can study either biology or physics.	Wenn du möchtest, kannst du entweder Biologie oder Physik studieren.
the professor	der Professor
the seminar	das Seminar
The professor offers either a seminar or a lecture.	Der Professor bietet entweder ein Seminar oder eine Vorlesung an.
the bachelor's degree	der Bachelor
the master's degree	der Master
For the job, you need either the bachelor's or the master's degree.	Für die Arbeit brauchst du entweder den Bachelor oder den Master.
the exam (written)	die Klausur
We will either write an exam or do a project.	Wir werden entweder eine Klausur schreiben oder ein Projekt machen.
A master's degree in computer science is very difficult.	Ein Master in Informatik ist sehr schwierig.
I would like to have the subject physics.	Ich hätte gern das Fach Physik.
If I study biology, I have to write many exams.	Wenn ich Biologie studiere, muss ich viele Klausuren schreiben.
The professor organizes this seminar very well.	Der Professor organisiert dieses Seminar sehr gut.
After the bachelor's degree, he wants to do a master's degree.	Nach dem Bachelor will er einen Master machen.
either ... or	entweder ... oder
Either we go by train or we stay at home.	Entweder wir fahren mit dem Zug oder wir bleiben zu Hause.
She drinks either coffee or tea.	Sie trinkt entweder Kaffee oder Tee.

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