Expressing consequences with "sodass"
When you want to express the result or consequence of an action, use the conjunction sodass (so that / so).
Because sodass is a subordinating conjunction, it kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. The subordinate clause typically follows the main clause and is always separated by a comma.
| The athlete is training hard so that he wins the marathon. | Der Athlet trainiert hart, sodass er den Marathon gewinnt. |
| He has a lot of endurance, so that he wins the competition. | Er hat viel Ausdauer, sodass er den Wettkampf gewinnt. |
Emphasizing extremes with "so ..., dass"
To emphasize the extreme degree or intensity of a situation and its resulting consequence, use the paired structure so ..., dass (so ... that).
The word so sits in the main clause directly in front of the adjective or adverb you are emphasizing. The consequence follows in a dependent clause starting with dass, which again sends the conjugated verb to the very end.
| The athlete is so exhausted that he can't stand anymore. | Der Athlet ist so erschöpft, dass er nicht mehr stehen kann. |
| The performance was so good that she broke the record. | Die Leistung war so gut, dass sie den Rekord gebrochen hat. |
Working with past tenses and modals
These result clauses work exactly the same way across different tenses and with modal verbs. Just remember the core rule of subordinate clauses: the conjugated verb—whether it is a haben or sein helper, or a modal verb like können—must always be the final word in the clause.
| He improved his performance so that he could break the record. | Er hat seine Leistung verbessert, sodass er den Rekord brechen konnte. |
| The competition was so tough that nobody won a medal. | Der Wettkampf war so hart, dass niemand eine Medaille gewonnen hat. |