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If I want to say something like:

Now that I have all the files, I can start working.

How much money is left on my account, now that I paid for all that stuff?

How do I say this now that in German?

I instinctively want to use nun dass or jetzt dass, but when I search for these phrases, I don’t find them being used like that.

Edit: Google Translate suggests nachdem. This is not what I am looking for, because it expresses a temporal relation, and I am looking for a more causal relation. Example:

Where can I still go, now that I don't have a car anymore?

The suggestions from dict.cc (jetzt, wo and nun, da) may perhaps be better. However, this is not obvious to me, since they require the comma between the two words (and thus the jetzt or nun in the main clause). Does this work with the examples I gave? And does it work without changing the meaning? If yes, please show me how, and please confirm that the meaning is the same as the English sentences.

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  • what do you find while searching for now that or nun dass?
    – Shegit Brahm
    May 15, 2020 at 10:09
  • @ShegitBrahm Typically sentences with "nun, dass", example: "Ich weiß nun, dass es Hochmut war." I guess Google is really bad for searching punctuation proof
    – Lu Kas
    May 15, 2020 at 11:28
  • @LuKas: while google translate is only a rough guess for this purpose, I cannot tell you a better one than learning books. Please add your question clarification into your question to make it better. And what you still miss from trivial dictionaries for your understanding.
    – Shegit Brahm
    May 15, 2020 at 11:52
  • @ShegitBrahm I might have read your comment too fast. I meant searching phrase "nun das" in Google (not Translate) mostly shows sentences like "i know now, that it is wrong", which is not what I am looking for, as you can see from the examples. Using Google Translate for "now that" returns "nun das", which I think is not correct (perhaps I'm wrong?). In the translation of the full sentence is gives "nachdem", which is correct, but not what I'm looking for, because it is gives a temporal relation whereas I would prefer more a causal one.
    – Lu Kas
    May 15, 2020 at 12:48
  • @infinitezero I guess I should have gone immediately to dict.cc as the suggestions are much better, but Google did not lead me to it as a result. Nonetheless, it is still not clear to me if "jetzt, wo" or "nun, da" can simply replace "now that" in the example sentences.
    – Lu Kas
    May 15, 2020 at 12:51

2 Answers 2

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A close to literal translation would a temporal adverb such as jetzt or nun introducing a dependent clause with a subordinating conjunction da or wo.

Jetzt, wo ich alle Unterlagen vorliegen habe, kann ich loslegen.
Nun, da ich alle Unterlagen vorliegen habe …

Note however that it is possible to move the temporal adverb into the subordinate clause. Other temporal adverbs such as mittlerweile or inzwischen are also acceptable or the temporal adverb might be left out. If the subordinate clause is in first position, I would prefer da over wo.

Da ich (jetzt/inzwischen/mittlerweile) alle Unterlagen vorliegen habe …

The meaning of these subordinating conjunctions oscillates between temporal and causal (post hoc ergo propter hoc). Nachdem shares this temporal-causal double meaning and therefore also fits.

Nachdem ich nun also alle Unterlagen vorliegen habe …

For the second sentence with the postponed subordinate clause I prefer wo or nachdem over da.

Wieviel Geld ist denn noch auf dem Konto, wo ich das jetzt alles bezahlt habe?
… nachdem ich das jetzt alles bezahlt habe?

The temporal adverb with its dependent clause can also be postponed. However, this belongs more to spoken than written language.

Wieviel Geld ist denn noch auf dem Konto, jetzt, wo ich das alles bezahlt habe?

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  • Would it be possible in the second example to use it as "Wieviel Geld ist d̶e̶n̶n̶ noch auf dem Konto jetzt, wo ich das alles bezahlt habe?" or "Wieviel Geld ist noch auf dem Konto nun, da ich das alles bezahlt habe?" Or does that change the meaning? The conjugation I'm looking for is more causal than temporal, so nachdem is not really what I'm looking for.
    – Lu Kas
    May 15, 2020 at 12:38
  • Both Duden and DWDS agree that nachdem can have a causal meaning, although they classify it as regional.
    – David Vogt
    May 15, 2020 at 16:08
  • @LuKas denn is completely optional. But Germans love their Modalpartikeln; your sentences will sound more idiomatic if ja, bloß, nur, doch, denn, halt, mal etc. are used appropriately. Jetzt wo is fine as well.
    – David Vogt
    May 15, 2020 at 16:11
  • That last edit seems to be what I was going for. But is that really correct with the two commas? The Germans seem to love their commas as well. ;)
    – Lu Kas
    May 15, 2020 at 17:23
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You could say:

  • Jetzt habe ich alle Akten und kann anfangen zu arbeiten.
  • Wieviel Geld ist noch auf meinem Konto, nachdem ich jetzt für all diese Sachen bezahlt habe?.

It is maybe a bit simpler in German.

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  • Your first sentence translates to "Now I have all my files and can start working", which is different to "Now that I have all my files, I can start working".
    – infinitezero
    May 15, 2020 at 9:03
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    "Now that" is translated using "Nun, da [...]" or "Jetzt, wo [...]". Neither of your examples stays true to the original.
    – Polygnome
    May 15, 2020 at 9:21
  • I am not really looking for translations of these sentences, they are merely examples to show the meaning of the actual word/phrase I am looking for, namely "now that". Your suggestions circumvent this conjunction. (I didn't downvote however)
    – Lu Kas
    May 15, 2020 at 12:55
  • Yes, I think the literal translations sounds clumsy.
    – Martin Peters
    May 15, 2020 at 16:14

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