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To express "do this, *otherwise* that will happen," German uses the word **sonst** (otherwise / or else).

### Word Order with "sonst"

*Sonst* connects two ideas to show the consequence of an action. Unlike coordinating conjunctions such as *und* or *aber*, *sonst* is an adverb and takes up the first position in its clause. Following the standard German V2 rule, the conjugated verb must come directly after it, pushing the subject to the third position.

**Structure:**
[First clause], *sonst* + [Verb] + [Subject] + [Rest of sentence].

Notice how the verb *löschen* comes directly after *sonst*, pushing the subject *wir* to the other side:

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Here is another example. Again, the verb (*hat*) sits in position two, right after *sonst*:

{{item:877862}}

### Warnings and Consequences

The *sonst* structure is perfect for giving warnings. It is often paired with an obligation (using verbs like *müssen* or *dürfen*) or a direct command in the first clause, followed by the negative consequence in the second.

{{item:877868}}

{{item:877877}}

Even when sentences get longer and include other structures, the rule remains exactly the same: *sonst* stays in position one of its clause, and the conjugated verb stays in position two.

{{item:877879}}

Otherwise (sonst)

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
to log in	sich einloggen
the data	die Daten
You must log in, otherwise we will delete the data.	Sie müssen sich einloggen, sonst löschen wir die Daten.
the character (written symbol, sign)	das Zeichen
the access (to data, IT systems)	der Zugriff
The password needs eight characters for access.	Das Passwort braucht acht Zeichen für den Zugriff.
the hacker	der Hacker
Your password needs ten characters, otherwise the hacker will have access.	Dein Passwort braucht zehn Zeichen, sonst hat der Hacker Zugriff.
the warning	die Warnung
to click	klicken
the link	der Link
Read the warning and do not click on the link!	Lesen Sie die Warnung und klicken Sie nicht auf den Link!
the virus	der Virus
You must not click on the link, otherwise you will get a virus.	Sie dürfen nicht auf den Link klicken, sonst bekommen Sie einen Virus.
The update is important, because the virus destroys the data.	Das Update ist wichtig, denn der Virus zerstört die Daten.
The hacker tries to log in.	Der Hacker versucht, sich einzuloggen.
Do not forget this warning, otherwise the hacker wins.	Vergessen Sie diese Warnung nicht, sonst gewinnt der Hacker.
The virus is dangerous and destroys the data.	Der Virus ist gefährlich und zerstört die Daten.
It is dangerous to click here.	Es ist gefährlich, hier zu klicken.
the code	der Code
Do not give him the code, otherwise he will steal your data.	Geben Sie ihm den Code nicht, sonst stiehlt er Ihre Daten.
the username	der Benutzername
I need the username in order to log in, otherwise the system blocks my account.	Ich brauche den Benutzernamen, um mich einzuloggen, sonst blockiert das System mein Konto.
We needed the password, otherwise the printer did not work.	Wir brauchten das Passwort, sonst funktionierte der Drucker nicht.
complex	komplex
The password must be complex, otherwise the hacker will steal your data.	Das Passwort muss komplex sein, sonst stiehlt der Hacker deine Daten.
You must copy the code, otherwise the system deletes the username.	Du musst den Code kopieren, sonst löscht das System den Benutzernamen.
to complain (make a complaint)	sich beschweren
We have to complain, otherwise it will not get better.	Wir müssen uns beschweren, sonst wird es nicht besser.
He complained to the boss.	Er hat sich beim Chef beschwert.
The topic is too complex for a short answer.	Das Thema ist zu komplex für eine kurze Antwort.

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