I can say what the weather is like today and in any season, and join two sentences with und, aber, oder, denn, and dann without mixing up where the verb goes.
The weather, the conjunctions und, aber, oder, denn — and the word dann
The weather, the conjunctions und, aber, oder, denn — and the word dann
Weather is the first topic of small talk with a neighbor or a coworker. To avoid short, choppy phrases, join two sentences with one word.
A weather sentence has no real subject: es takes its place and can't be left out, like English “it”. Es regnet. Es schneit. Es ist kalt. Es wird kalt: “it's getting cold” (a set phrase). After a number, Grad takes no ending: Es sind zehn Grad.
The four conjunctions stand BETWEEN two sentences and don't take a position: in both parts the verb is still second. The examples are in the first table.
• und — and
• aber — but
• oder — or
• denn — because; after denn the subject comes first, then the verb
Put a comma before aber and denn.
The word dann (“then”) isn't a conjunction but an ordinary word of the sentence: it takes position 1, and the verb comes right after it, before the subject.
The seasons are in the second table: im Frühling, im Winter; you know im from the months.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Es ist kalt, und bleiben wir hier” — after und, the usual order: und wir bleiben hier.
• NOT “Ich bleibe hier, denn regnet es” — after denn, the subject comes first: denn es regnet.
• NOT “Am Abend dann es wird kalt” — after dann, the verb comes next: dann wird es kalt.
• NOT “Ich bleibe hier, denn kalt” — denn joins sentences: denn es ist kalt.
• NOT “Es sind zehn Grade” — after a number: zehn Grad.
Words that join two sentences
The four conjunctions don't take a position in the sentence; dann takes position 1.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| und | and | Es ist Montag, und Paul arbeitet. |
| aber | but | Lisa lernt Deutsch, aber sie spricht Russisch. |
| oder | or | Kommst du am Montag, oder kommst du am Dienstag? |
| denn | because | Emma bleibt hier, denn sie ist müde. |
| dann | then (not a conjunction) | Wir lernen zwei Stunden, dann sehen wir einen Film. |
The four seasons
You know im from the months: im Mai — im Frühling.
| Season | When? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| der Frühling | im Frühling | Im Frühling ist es nicht heiß. |
| der Sommer | im Sommer | Im Sommer sind es dreißig Grad. |
| der Herbst | im Herbst | Im Herbst kommt der Wind. |
| der Winter | im Winter | Im Winter trinke ich Tee. |
Lesson notes
The weather, the conjunctions und, aber, oder, denn — and the word dann
Weather is the first topic of small talk with a neighbor or a coworker. To avoid short, choppy phrases, join two sentences with one word.
A weather sentence has no real subject: es takes its place and can't be left out, like English “it”. Es regnet. Es schneit. Es ist kalt. Es wird kalt: “it's getting cold” (a set phrase). After a number, Grad takes no ending: Es sind zehn Grad.
The four conjunctions stand BETWEEN two sentences and don't take a position: in both parts the verb is still second. The examples are in the first table.
• und — and
• aber — but
• oder — or
• denn — because; after denn the subject comes first, then the verb
Put a comma before aber and denn.
The word dann (“then”) isn't a conjunction but an ordinary word of the sentence: it takes position 1, and the verb comes right after it, before the subject.
The seasons are in the second table: im Frühling, im Winter; you know im from the months.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Es ist kalt, und bleiben wir hier” — after und, the usual order: und wir bleiben hier.
• NOT “Ich bleibe hier, denn regnet es” — after denn, the subject comes first: denn es regnet.
• NOT “Am Abend dann es wird kalt” — after dann, the verb comes next: dann wird es kalt.
• NOT “Ich bleibe hier, denn kalt” — denn joins sentences: denn es ist kalt.
• NOT “Es sind zehn Grade” — after a number: zehn Grad.