Some conjunctions introduce a subordinate clause — extra information that can't stand alone. The rule that trips up almost every learner: in a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the very end.
- Common subordinating conjunctions: weil (because), dass (that), wenn (if/when), obwohl (although), damit (so that), als (when, past), ob (whether).
- Don't confuse them with und, aber, oder, denn — those coordinating words keep normal word order.
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
I'm staying home because I'm ill.
weil → bin at the end
Ich weiß, dass du recht hast.
I know that you're right.
dass → hast at the end
Wenn es regnet, bleiben wir hier.
If it rains, we'll stay here.
clause first → main verb follows straight after the comma
When the subordinate clause comes first
If you start the sentence with the subordinate clause, the whole clause counts as the first element — so the main clause's verb comes immediately after the comma. This produces the characteristic “…, verb verb …” collision in the middle.
Weil ich müde bin, gehe ich früh ins Bett.
Because I'm tired, I'm going to bed early.
… bin, gehe … — two verbs meet at the comma
weil or denn? Same meaning, opposite word order
Both mean “because”, and that is exactly why they get mixed up. weil is subordinating and sends the verb to the end. denn is coordinating and changes nothing at all — the clause after it keeps ordinary main-clause order.
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
…because I'm ill.
weil → verb last
Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin krank.
…because I'm ill.
denn → normal order, verb second
Tipp · If you are unsure mid-sentence, denn is the safe one: it asks nothing of the word order. weil is worth mastering because it is far more common in speech.
What happens to modals and separable verbs
In a main clause a modal sits second and the infinitive goes last. Inside a subordinate clause the whole verb block moves to the end and the conjugated modal lands after the infinitive — the last word of all. Separable verbs simply rejoin: the prefix goes back onto the stem.
Ich muss früh aufstehen.
I have to get up early.
main clause: muss second, aufstehen last
…, weil ich früh aufstehen muss.
…because I have to get up early.
subordinate: muss moves past the infinitive to the very end
…, weil ich früh aufstehe.
…because I get up early.
no modal — the separable prefix rejoins: aufstehe
✗Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich will in Berlin arbeiten.
✓Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Berlin arbeiten will.
After weil the conjugated verb (will) goes last — after the infinitive.
✗Weil es ist spät, gehe ich.
✓Weil es spät ist, gehe ich.
Verb ist to the end of the weil-clause.
✗…, weil ich früh auf stehe.
✓…, weil ich früh aufstehe.
In a subordinate clause the separable prefix rejoins the verb.