Subordinating Conjunctions in German

Sending the verb to the end

Introduction

It is important to learn subordinating conjunctions for three reasons:
- they occur very frequently in texts and in conversation.
- they have implications for word-order.
- they can influence the structure of an argument.

Objectives

In these activities, you will consider how to recognise and translate subordinating conjunctions and will practise locating the verb in a subordinate clause.

Preliminary activity: Why learn subordinating conjunctions?

Instruction

Please answer the questions below and make notes in the text boxes provided.
Then read about the reasons for learning subordinating conjunctions in the feedback sections.

Definition:
Do you have any idea of what a conjunction is?
And a subordinating conjunction?
Do you know any in English?
Write some answers/notes in the box below.

Frequency
Do you know what is meant by frequency?
Which German word do you think is the one that occurs most frequently?
Write your answers in the box below.

Implications for word-order:
Do you know what implications a Subordinating Conjunction has for word-order?
What does it do to the verb?
Write your answers in the box below.

Influence on structure of argument:
Can you imagine how different conjunctions influence the structure of an argument differently?
Jot down some ideas in the box below.

Activity 1: See a subordinating conjunction in context

A subordinating conjunction determines the context and meaning of the clause.
In the following activity, you will look at the influence of a subordinating conjunction on the meaning of the clause:

Instruction

Look at the following sentence in English and consider which conjunction(s) could fit into the gap.
Write all possible alternatives in the box below.

He went to university ____________________ he had no money.

In German, a similar choice could be:

Er ging auf die Universität, ________________ kein Geld hatte.

obwohl: although
weil: because
als: when
auch wenn: even if / even when

Which makes sense?

obwohl
weil
als
auch wenn

Activity 2: Identifying subordinating conjunctions in a list of functional words

Subordinating conjunctions belong to the group of functional words that make up 50% of the average German text. These subordinating conjunctions occur at the beginning of a clause, i.e. at the beginning of the sentence or the dependent clause (after the comma). They make the verb go to the end of this clause and they significantly influence the meaning of the sentence.

Instruction

Go to the list of Christine's Functionals and work through the cards, identifying subordinating conjunctions.

You can easily recognise them by this symbol of an arrow [2.3KB]

Write down at least 15 German subordinating conjunctions in this box:

Well done.
You should now be able to recognise subordinating conjunctions in a text. They will alert you to the fact that the verb will be found at the end of the clause.

Activity 3: Learn 22 Subordinating Conjunctions

You may already know some of the conjunctions that were looked at in activity 2. In this activity, you are going to learn some more.

Instruction

Start learning the others by choosing the "Flash Cards" option at the same site http://www.byki.com.
Christine's Subordinating Conjunctions

Complete all the Learning Modes:

Review It
Recognize It
Know It
Produce It
Own It

Now, from memory, write down as many conjunctions as you can remember.

Activity 4: Differentiating from other functionals

Some functional words can have different translations depending on their function in a sentence. For example:

Er fuhr schnell um die Ecke, um seinem Verfolger zu entkommen.
He drove quickly round the corner in order to escape his pursuer.

The meaning of "um" is determined by the function it has in the sentence. The first "um" is a preposition before the noun, the second a subordinating conjunction.

Instruction

Go back to Christine's Functionals and find all the words that can be used both as a conjunction and as something else.

Write down at least 6 pairs of functional words in this box:
For example:
um (before noun: preposition) = round / around
um (at beginning of a clause with the personal verb at the end: subordinating conjunction) = in order to / so that

Look out for them in the texts you come across. Make a note of them to remember for the future.

Activity 5: Identifying subordinating conjunctions in an unseen authentic text

In order to understand the structure of a completely unknown text with unfamiliar vocabulary, it is useful to locate the conjunctions and their respective verbs.

Instruction

Look at a new text. Read it through once and then try to locate the conjunctions before looking up any new vocabulary.

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Starting from the third paragraph, write down all subordinating conjunctions with their verbs in the box below.
There are also some interrogatives (question words) that function as subordinating conjunctions.
e.g. wenn ––– erinnern könnten
There should be 7 more.

You may want to test your knowledge of the other functional words in this passage!
If you need a dictionary, try this one online LEO Dictionary

Activity 6: Using subordinating conjunctions

Instruction

Consider which subordinating conjunctions would be most appropriate for the following sentences. Write your answers in the text boxes provided. Quite often, there is more than one possibility. Decide how they would change the meaning.

1. __________ sie keine Lust hatte noch länger zu bleiben, ging sie nach Hause.