24
votes
Accepted
Correct usage of "aber" and "sondern"
I don't know what the exact context around that sentence was, I think in this case it's relevant to know what he wanted to express.
You're right, usually you would say sondern in this case, for "...
- 894
20
votes
Difference between "weil" and "denn"
Here is a helpful example of when you can use "denn" but "weil" doesn't really make sense:
Er muss müde sein, denn er trinkt viel Kaffee.
"He must be tired, because / seeing as he is drinking a ...
- 301
20
votes
Accepted
“To not know if…” construct in German
First, your example would be translated as “Ich weiß, dass du gut tanzt” (verb in the end in a dass… sub clause).
If you want to express doubt about something, you put the nicht with the weiß, just ...
- 9,114
19
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“To not know if…” construct in German
The general form in German is
Ich weiß, dass ...
The opposite would be
Ich weiß nicht, ob ...
I'm going to elaborate on the comment I gave yesterday a bit to make clearer why wenn is not an ...
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14
votes
Difference between "weil" and "denn"
The same distinction exists between for/because in English.
"Denn" corresponds exactly in function and meaning to the archaic English conjunction "for", which was common in early ...
- 241
14
votes
Accepted
Kommasetzung bei dass-dass-Sätzen (wenn diese überhaupt grammatikalisch korrekt sind)
Rein formal ist der Satz korrekt. Der Nebensatz »dass wir uns in diesem Punkt einig sind« ist ein Zwischensatz, der in den übergeordneten Satz eingebettet ist und dort die Rolle des Subjekts einnimmt (...
- 19k
14
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Correct usage of "aber" and "sondern"
The explanation that you are giving for the difference between "aber" and "sondern" sounds very good to me as a native German speaker. What I can add is:
„nicht [a], sondern [b]”: ...
- 141
12
votes
Usage differences of “obwohl” and “trotzdem”
First, your grammar, in particular your word order is correct. But I think that the meaning of the second sentence is not what you thought. The first is ok.
A, obwohl B
means that both A and B are ...
- 20.4k
12
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Can weil and wegen interchangeably be used?
Weil is because, wegen is because of.
Example for because;
Warum ist der Boden nass? (Why is the floor wet?)
Weil es geregnet hat. (because it rained.)
Example for because of
Warum bleiben Sie zu ...
- 3,677
12
votes
Accepted
"Zwölfhundert" or "eintausendzweihundert"?
For years in the range 1100 to 1999 the "zwölfhundert" variant is common in Germany:
The house was built in the year 1980.
Das Haus wurde im Jahr neunzehnhundertachtzig gebaut.
The variant ...
- 6,108
12
votes
Accepted
what type of conjunctions is "dass"?
That depends. Usually when you see dass, it introduces a complement clause (Komplementsatz):
Er fürchtet/hofft/erwartet, dass sie ihn verlässt.Er hat die Befürchtung/Hoffnung/Erwartung, dass sie ihn ...
- 7,698
11
votes
Accepted
Wie vermeide ich "dass wenn"?
Die Kombinationen klingen tatsächlich ziemlich holprig, was hauptsächlich an dem daraus folgenden Satzbau liegt.
Die Beispielsätze kann man aber einfach umstellen:
Du glaubst doch nicht, dass du ...
- 399
11
votes
Comma or no comma before "und"
Learn:
There is no "natural breath" rule for commas in German grammar!
Forget any physiological functions of your body when you think about German grammar! These are two fields of knowledge, that ...
- 121k
11
votes
Accepted
Warum ist "Ich mag Orangen nicht, aber ich mag Äpfel." falsch?
1) As substantive Orangen has to start with a capital letter. This is an error.
2) The difference between mag Orangen nicht und mag keine Orangen is between minor to non-existing. If find the keine ...
- 27.8k
10
votes
Accepted
Which sentence is correct and how to use dass
Oh, you realize that each of you used two clauses?
One main clause (V2 = verb in 2nd position), one subordinate clause (verb at the end):
[Ich hoffe], dass [ihr einen schönen Tag habt].
So to ...
- 24k
10
votes
Translation of “such that”: “so, dass”?
Mathematicians usually say /zoˈdas/ in this context, i.e., they put
the stress on "dass", pronounce "so" with a short vowel, and don't make
any pause between /zo/ and /das/. That ...
- 10.4k
10
votes
Accepted
»Er schläft noch schlummert nicht«
Beim Vergleich mit der Version aus der 1984er Lutherbibel wird klar, dass noch in diesem Satz wie eine Konjunktion gebraucht wird. Wie wir Grimms Wörterbuch entnehmen können, war die Konjunktion noch ...
- 19k
10
votes
„als …“ in Fragesätzen
Grundsatz
Wenn die Grundregel lautet, dass der mit als eingebundene Satzteil im selben Kasus steht wie das Bezugswort, dann wäre das erste Beispiel korrekt:
Darf ich Ihnen als Experten eine Frage ...
- 13.6k
10
votes
Accepted
How to distinguish between ‘damit’ introducing a subordinate clause or a main clause?
Your confusion likely lies in the fact that there are two words damit that have different grammatical functions.
One of the two is the conjunction damit, introducing a final subordinate clause, i.e. ...
- 38.5k
9
votes
Accepted
“Because then” in German
The German translation of because then is actually pretty simple: weil… dann (or less common: denn dann).
You can rephrase the first sentence like this to make the causal relationship more apparent:
...
- 1,197
9
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Word order with "daher?"
Daher is an adverb, that roughly means "therefore."
Thus, it occupies the first spot in the second sentence, and sends the verb to the second spot.
"Ich bin ein Vegetarier; daher esse ich kein ...
- 12.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Using multiple sub ordinating conjunction in a sentence
Your teacher is wrong. Your sentences are more correct than
Ich ärgere mich, dass ich nichts kaufen kann. Weil die Geschäfte geschlossen sind.
The latter is actually grammatically flawed. However, ...
- 16.2k
9
votes
Accepted
Weird isolated Nebensätze: "Dass ich nicht lache!" and other isolated clauses with "Dass ..."
Phrases like (1) Dass ich nicht lache! and (2) Dass ihr mir (ja) nicht die Reparatur versaut! are known as independent verb-final clauses (selbständige Verbletzt-Sätze). Four types of independent verb-...
- 7,698
8
votes
Accepted
Usage differences of “obwohl” and “trotzdem”
This is a somewhat uneasy subject to digest. I try my best to explain based on the Duden.
Taking your example the first is fine and obwohl can be replaced by trotzdem; though obwohl is more often ...
- 499
8
votes
Accepted
Comma or no comma before "und"
Your question can't be answered easily as it clearly depends. First things first: The usage of commas in the German language follows (complicated) rules and has nothing to do with breathing or ...
- 313
8
votes
How to form multiple noun clauses with “dass”, e.g. “dass ..., und, dass ...”?
Your only mistake is the comma. Other than that, it's correct.
Sie meint, dass es in Ordnung ist, die Schule nicht zu besuchen, und dass es akzeptabel ist, Hausaufgaben zu missachten.
Explanation:
...
- 38.5k
8
votes
How does the tense affect the meaning of a construction with “sobald”?
Sobald tells a condition for an immediately following event.
Sobald Paula eine neue Arbeit gefunden hatte, ist sie nach Berlin umgezogen.
The first clause is in Plusquamperfekt, the second clause ...
- 57.3k
8
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to use “oder” in this kind of context in German?
1) "Oder?" added to declarative clauses
It is relatively common in German everyday communication to add oder? to a sentence that is meant as a question in order to signalize explicitly that this is a ...
- 31.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Why do only some conjunctions push the verb to the end?
German knows about Hauptsätze (main clauses) and Nebensätze (subordinate clauses).
Hauptsatz
A typical German Hauptsatz, has the verb always in 2nd position (note that this doesn't mean the verb is ...
- 18.3k
8
votes
Accepted
Usage of “niemand als” in the sense of “nobody but”
"Niemand als" in the sense of "nobody but" is not a (very) contemporary German expression.
You'll find Niemand als in archaic texts like the Bible
Als sie aber ihre Augen aufhoben,...
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