A2 → Grammar · Lesson 6 of 22

German Coordinating Conjunctions: Und, Oder, Aber, Denn, Sondern

die Konjunktion

Before this lesson: make sure you've covered Word Order: Longer Sentences first.

A conjunction is a joining word that connects two ideas into one longer sentence. The five most common ones (und, oder, aber, denn, sondern) are special: they never change the word order — you just glue two normal sentences together with a comma.

Types you should know

und

and

oder

or

aber

but

denn

because / for

sondern

but rather, after a negative

Examples

German	English
Ich lerne Deutsch, und ich lerne auch Englisch.	I'm learning German, and I'm also learning English.
Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin krank.	I'm staying home, because I'm sick.
Ich mag keinen Kaffee, sondern ich trinke lieber Tee.	I don't like coffee, but I prefer to drink tea.

Memory trick: These five conjunctions are 'lazy' — the verb never moves. Each half keeps its own normal word order; you just add a comma and the joining word.

⚠ Common mistake: Don't confuse "aber" (but, general contrast) with "sondern" (but rather) — sondern only follows a nicht/kein statement: "Ich habe kein Auto, sondern ein Fahrrad."

🎯 Quick check

Which conjunction means 'because'?

German Coordinating Conjunctions: Und, Oder, Aber, Denn, Sondern

Types you should know

Examples

🎯 Quick check

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