Repeated Actions with sooft
When you want to describe an event that repeatedly triggers a specific outcome—like the daily annoyance of spam calls—German uses the subordinating conjunction sooft (whenever / every time that).
Because sooft is a subordinating conjunction, it sends the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. When you start your sentence with the sooft clause, the main clause immediately follows with its conjugated verb.
| Whenever my telephone rings, it is a telemarketing call. | Sooft mein Telefon klingelt, ist es ein Werbeanruf. |
You can also place the main clause first. In this case, the main clause follows standard word order, and the sooft clause follows the comma, ending with its conjugated verb.
| I do not pick up whenever the number is unknown. | Ich hebe nicht ab, sooft die Nummer unbekannt ist. |
Whether you are ignoring a caller or listening to unsolicited offers, sooft highlights the recurring nature of the annoyance.
| Whenever they call, they promise a car or money. | Sooft sie anrufen, versprechen sie ein Auto oder Geld. |
Using sooft in the Past Tense
The word order rules for sooft remain exactly the same when describing recurring habits or events in the past.
| Whenever the call center called, my father hung up immediately. | Sooft das Callcenter anrief, legte mein Vater sofort auf. |
| I did not pick up whenever the telephone rang. | Ich hob nicht ab, sooft das Telefon klingelte. |