As a strict librarian explaining archive rules, use wie ("as") to refer back to procedures people should already know.
Starting with a wie Clause
You already know wie as a question word meaning "how," but it also acts as a subordinating conjunction to reference shared knowledge. When starting a sentence with a wie clause:
- As a subordinating conjunction, wie sends the conjugated verb to the end of its clause (right before the comma).
- The entire wie clause takes up position one, so the main clause immediately starts with its verb to satisfy the verb-second rule.
| As I mentioned, the archive is important. | Wie ich erwähnt habe, ist das Archiv wichtig. |
| As you know, the archive needs this collection. | Wie du weißt, braucht das Archiv diese Sammlung. |
| As we discussed, you file the folder in the shelf. | Wie wir besprochen haben, ordnest du den Ordner in das Regal ein. |
Using wie Later in the Sentence
When placing the wie clause after the main sentence, the main clause uses standard word order. Separate the clauses with a comma, start the dependent clause with wie, and send its conjugated verb to the end.
| We catalogue the collection, as we have discussed. | Wir katalogisieren die Sammlung, wie wir besprochen haben. |
| He handles the index carefully, as we discussed. | Er behandelt das Register vorsichtig, wie wir besprochen haben. |
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