Key Idea: This topic is about building German sentences and texts: where the verb goes after a connector, when to say du or Sie, and how to give an opinion.
| Family | Connectors | Word order |
|---|---|---|
| Position 0 | und, aber, oder, denn, sondern | nothing moves |
| Subordinating | weil, dass, obwohl, wenn | verb to the end |
| Adverb | deshalb, trotzdem, außerdem, dann | verb comes next (inversion) |
| du | Sie | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | friends, family, young people | strangers, older people, business |
| Verb | -st form: kannst du | like sie (they): können Sie |
| Your / you | dein, dich, dir | Ihr, Sie, Ihnen, with capitals |
| Plural | ihr | Sie |
Giving opinions
- State it: {{Meiner Meinung nach … / Aus meiner Sicht …|In my opinion … / From my point of view …}}
- Always add a reason with weil or denn, and an example.
- React: {{Ich stimme dir zu.|I agree with you.}}
- After dass the verb goes last: {{Ich glaube, dass das wahr ist.|I think that is true.}}
Every connector either moves the verb or leaves it alone, so check where your verb lands each time. Pick du or Sie once and keep it.
«Ich lerne, weil ich eine Prüfung __.» Where does «habe» go? At the very end: «… eine Prüfung habe».
What comes straight after «deshalb»? The verb, then the subject.
Writing to a company: dein or Ihr? Ihr, with a capital I.
What is wrong with «Ich bin einig»? It is not German. Say «Ich bin einverstanden».
Denn or weil: which one sends the verb to the end? Weil. After denn the word order stays normal.