Connecting adverbs (in German: Verbindungsadverbien) play a crucial role in German grammar by linking sentences, clauses, or phrases together. These adverbs provide coherence and fluidity to the language, allowing speakers to express relationships between ideas or actions. In this blog post, we'll delve into the 30 most common Verbindungsadverbien in German, accompanied by examples and their English translations.
You'll find a long list of connecting adverbs in German below, with examples and their English translations. So, if you're looking for examples, you might want to scroll down. However, if you want to understand what a connecting adverb actually is and how to distinguish it from similar grammatical categories, read the explanation below first.
What is a connecting adverb?
Understanding what a connecting adverb is involves distinguishing it from other related grammatical categories, such as conjunctions, prepositions, and adverbs in general. Here's a detailed breakdown:
1. Adverbs
Definition: Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They typically describe how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
Examples: schnell (quickly), gestern (yesterday), hier (here).
Function: Adverbs provide additional information about the action or state described by the verb (e.g., "Er läuft schnell" – "He runs quickly").
2. Connecting Adverbs (Konjunktionaladverbien)
Definition: Connecting adverbs are a specific type of adverb that not only modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs but also serve to link clauses or sentences. They are used to express relationships between ideas, such as contrast, cause and effect, or addition.
Examples: jedoch (however), deshalb (therefore), außerdem (furthermore), folglich (consequently). You'll find many other examples below.
Function: Connecting adverbs connect two independent clauses or sentences by showing a logical relationship between them. They typically appear at the beginning of the second clause or sentence and can cause inversion of the subject and verb.
Example: "Es regnet, deshalb bleiben wir zu Hause." (It’s raining, therefore we’re staying at home.)
Word Order: In German, using a connecting adverb often results in the inversion of the subject and verb in the clause it introduces, similar to how a normal adverb would affect word order. In other words, the conjugated verb must be in the second position.
3. Conjunctions (Konjunktionen)
Definition: Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. There are two main types: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.
Types:
Coordinating Conjunctions (nebenordnende Konjunktionen): These connect elements of equal grammatical rank, such as two independent clauses. They do not affect the word order.
Examples: und (and), aber (but), oder (or), denn (because).
Example: "Ich gehe ins Kino, aber er bleibt zu Hause." (I’m going to the cinema, but he is staying home.)
Subordinating Conjunctions (unterordnende Konjunktionen): These connect a main clause with a subordinate clause and affect word order by moving the verb to the end of the subordinate clause.
Examples: weil (because), obwohl (although), dass (that).
Example: "Er bleibt zu Hause, weil er müde ist." (He is staying home because he is tired.)
Function: Conjunctions primarily serve to link clauses or sentences without modifying verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
Definition: Prepositions are words that establish relationships between nouns or pronouns and other elements in a sentence. They usually indicate relationships of place, time, direction, cause, manner, or possession.
Examples: in (in), auf (on), mit (with), wegen (because of).
Function: Prepositions always govern a noun or pronoun (their object), forming prepositional phrases that add detail to sentences.
Example: "Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch." (The book is on the table.)
Word Order: Prepositions do not affect the word order of the clauses they are in, but they determine the case of their object (accusative, dative, or genitive).
Definition: Adjectives describe or modify nouns and pronouns, providing more information about them.
Examples: schnell (fast), groß (big), glücklich (happy).
Function: Adjectives describe qualities or states of nouns and usually agree with the noun they modify in case, number, and gender.
Example: "Das große Haus" (The big house).
Comparing Connecting Adverbs to Other Categories:
Connecting Adverbs vs. Adverbs:
While both modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, connecting adverbs specifically serve to link sentences or clauses, often showing a logical relationship between them (e.g., "deshalb," "dennoch").
Connecting Adverbs vs. Conjunctions:
Conjunctions connect clauses or sentences but do not modify anything else within the sentence. Connecting adverbs, however, link sentences while also providing additional meaning, such as cause or contrast, and can cause inversion of the subject and verb.
Connecting Adverbs vs. Prepositions:
Prepositions relate a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence (forming prepositional phrases), whereas connecting adverbs link entire clauses or sentences and modify how the clauses relate to one another.
Connecting Adverbs vs. Adjectives:
Adjectives describe nouns and agree with them in gender, number, and case, whereas connecting adverbs link and modify entire clauses or sentences, often influencing word order.
Connecting adverbs are unique in that they both modify the verb (or the clause as a whole) and connect two independent clauses or sentences by indicating relationships such as cause, contrast, sequence, or addition. They differ from conjunctions (which only connect clauses without modifying them), prepositions (which relate nouns or pronouns to other words), and regular adverbs (which only modify without connecting).
List of the most common connecting adverbs in German with examples
also (so, therefore): Ich denke, also bin ich (I think, therefore I am) - Descartes
allerdings (however): Es war ein langer Tag, allerdings auch ein erfolgreicher. (It was a long day, however, also a successful one.)
ansonsten (otherwise) see "sonst" below.
außerdem (besides, furthermore): Ich mag Äpfel. Außerdem mag ich auch Orangen. (I like apples. Besides, I also like oranges.)
bedauerlicherweise (regrettably, unfortunately): Bedauerlicherweise fällt mir kein Beispiel ein (Unfortunately, I cannot think of an example).
erstens, zweitens, drittens... (first, second, third, ...): Erstens werde ich versuchen, die aktuelle politische Situation erklären. (First, I will try to explain the current political situation.)
dabei (thereby): Er spricht, dabei hört ihm keiner zu. (He's talking, thereby no one is listening to him.)
daher (therefore, hence): Er hat viel gelernt, daher hat er die Prüfung bestanden. (He studied a lot, therefore he passed the exam.)
danach (afterwards, after that): Zuerst haben wir gefrühstückt, danach sind wir spazieren gegangen. (First we had breakfast, after that we went for a walk.)
dann (then): Ich esse zuerst, dann mache ich Hausaufgaben. (First, I'll eat, then I'll do homework.)
daraufhin (in response): Sie las, dass ihr Flug sich um zwei Stunden verspäten wird. Daraufhin ärgerte sie sich über die Fluggesellschaft.
darum (therefore, that's why) Es war spät, darum sind wir gegangen. (It was late, that’s why we left.)
darüber hinaus (furthermore): Er spricht fließend Spanisch, darüber hinaus lernt er gerade Chinesisch." (He speaks fluent Spanish; furthermore, he is currently learning Chinese.)
davor (before that): Er kam zu spät, davor hatte er noch einen Termin. (He was late, before that he had another appointment.)
dazu (in addition to that, besides): Er ist faul und dazu noch unpünktlich. (He is lazy and, in addition to that, unpunctual.)
demnach (accordingly, therefore): Er hat die Prüfung nicht bestanden, demnach muss er sie wiederholen. (He didn’t pass the exam; therefore, he must retake it.)
dementsprechend (accordingly, correspondingly): Die Bedingungen waren hart, dementsprechend war die Leistung beeindruckend. (The conditions were tough; accordingly, the performance was impressive.)
dennoch (still/yet): Es regnet, dennoch gehen wir zum Picknick. (It's raining, yet we're going for a picnic.)
deshalb (therefore): Sie war müde, deshalb ging sie früh ins Bett." (She was tired, therefore she went to bed early.)
deswegen (that's why, for that reason):
des Weiteren (furthermore): Wir haben im letzten Jahr die Kosten gesenkt. Des Weiteren haben wir unsere Effizienz gesteigert." (We reduced costs last year; furthermore, we increased our efficiency.)
endlich (at last): Endlich hat es aufgehört zu regnen. (At last, it stopped raining.)
ferner (furthermore): Das Projekt war erfolgreich, ferner hat es unsere Teamarbeit verbessert." (The project was successful; furthermore, it improved our teamwork.)
folglich (consequently): Es regnet, folglich brauchen wir einen Regenschirm. (It's raining, consequently, we need an umbrella.)
freilich (admittedly, indeed): Freilich ist das Wetter schlecht, aber wir gehen trotzdem wander. (Admittedly, the weather is bad, but we are going hiking anyway.)
gleichwohl (nevertheless, nonetheless): Es gab viele Schwierigkeiten, gleichwohl haben sie das Projekt erfolgreich abgeschlossen. (There were many difficulties; nevertheless, they successfully completed the project.)
glücklicherweise/zum Glück (fortunately): Sie haben ihre Fähre verpasst. Glücklicherweise kam kurze Zeit später eine andere. (They missed their ferry. Fortunately, another one came a short time later.)
hingegen (on the other hand, in contrast): Er liebt das Meer, hingegen mag sie die Berge. (He loves the sea; on the other hand, she prefers the mountains.)
immerhin (after all, at least): Es war schwer, immerhin haben wir es geschafft. (It was difficult, but at least we made it.)
im Übrigen (by the way, incidentally): Im Übrigen finde ich, dass wir uns noch einmal treffen sollten. (By the way, I think we should meet again.
in der Tat (indeed): Sie hat die Aufgabe gut gelöst, in der Tat hat sie alles richtig gemacht. (She solved the task well; indeed, she did everything correctly.)
indessen (meanwhile, however): Er bereitete das Essen vor, indessen deckte sie den Tisch. (He prepared the food; meanwhile, she set the table.)
insbesondere (especially): Sie mag viele Sportarten, insbesondere (mag sie) Tennis. (She likes many sports, particularly tennis.)
insoweit (to that extent, in this respect): Insoweit stimme ich zu, aber es gibt noch andere Aspekte zu berücksichtigen. (To that extent, I agree, but there are other aspects to consider.)
jedenfalls (at any rate): Sie musste während des Urlaubs arbeiten. Jedenfalls hat sie sich nicht gelangweilt. (She had to work during her holiday. At any rate, she wasn't bored.)
jedoch/doch (however): Das Essen war köstlich, jedoch war der Service langsam." (The food was delicious; however, the service was slow.)
leider (unfortunately) Leider spreche ich noch nicht so gut Deutsch. (Unfortunately, I can't speak German well yet.)
meiner Meinung nach/nach meiner Meinung (in my opinion) Meiner Meinung nach sollte Harris die Wahl gewinnen. (In my opinion, Harris should win the election.)
mithin (thus, consequently): Die Beweise sind eindeutig, mithin ist der Fall abgeschlossen. (The evidence is clear; thus, the case is closed.)
natürlich (naturally, of course): Natürlich ist es wichtig zu erwähnen, dass.. (Of course, it is important to mention that...)
nichtsdestotrotz (nonetheless): Der Vertrag war nicht ideal für sie. Nichtsdestotrotz hat sie ihm zugestimmt. (The contract wasn't ideal for her. Nonetheless, she agreed to it.)
schließlich (finally): Er hat lange gezögert. Schließlich hat er die Entscheidung getroffen. (He hesitated for a long time. Finally, he made the decision.)
selbstverständlich (of course): Selbstverständlich helfe ich dir. (Of course, I'll help you.)
somit (thus, therefore): Der Vertrag wurde unterzeichnet, somit ist das Geschäft abgeschlossen. (The contract was signed; thus, the deal is concluded.
sonst (otherwise): Du musst dich beeilen, sonst verpasst du den Zug. (You need to hurry, otherwise you’ll miss the train.)
stattdessen (instead): Ich möchte keinen Kaffee, stattdessen hätte ich lieber einen Tee. (I don't want coffee, instead I'd like a tea.)
trotzdem (nevertheless): Es regnete, trotzdem gingen sie spazieren." (It was raining, nevertheless they went for a walk.)
währenddessen (meanwhile): Ich habe gearbeitet, währenddessen hat sie gekocht. (I was working, meanwhile she was cooking.)
wiederum (in turn, on the other hand): Er war müde, wiederum war sie voller Energie. (He was tired; she, on the other hand, was full of energy.
zudem (moreover, in addition): Der Film war langweilig, zudem war er zu lang. (The movie was boring, moreover it was too long.)
zum Beispiel (for example): Ich mag viele Obstsorten, zum Beispiel (mag ich) Äpfel und Bananen. (I like many types of fruit, for example apples and bananas.)
zusammenfassend (in summary): Zusammenfassend lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass... (In summary, one might conclude that...)
zuvor (before, beforehand): Wir hatten viel geplant, zuvor mussten wir aber die Erlaubnis einholen. (We had planned a lot, but before that we had to get permission.)
Now, you might wonder if I haven't forgotten some important examples. Let's see, shall we?
What about "einerseits...., andererseits", "entweder....oder"?
"Einerseits, ... andererseits" and "entweder ... oder" are not connecting adverbs in German. Instead, they are correlative conjunctions (also known as paired conjunctions, compound conjunctions or "korrelative Konjunktionen" in German).
1. Einerseits ... andererseits (on one hand ... on the other hand)
Function: This pair is used to contrast two different aspects or sides of a situation.
Example:
Einerseits möchte ich mehr Zeit mit meiner Familie verbringen, andererseits muss ich viel arbeiten.
(On one hand, I want to spend more time with my family, but on the other hand, I have to work a lot.)
2. Entweder ... oder (either ... or)
Function: This pair is used to present two mutually exclusive options or alternatives.
Example:
Entweder gehe ich ins Kino, oder ich bleibe zu Hause.
(Either I go to the cinema, or I stay at home.)
Key Differences from Connecting Adverbs:
Correlative Conjunctions link two clauses or phrases together, similar to how conjunctions do, but they do so in pairs.
Connecting Adverbs link sentences or clauses by indicating a relationship such as cause, contrast, or sequence, but they do not come in pairs like correlative conjunctions.
So, "Einerseits ... andererseits" and "entweder ... oder" are correlative conjunctions and not connecting adverbs. They serve to connect ideas by highlighting contrasts or alternatives, whereas connecting adverbs connect clauses while typically modifying the verb.
What about "im Gegenteil"? Surely that's another connecting adverb?
No, "im Gegenteil" is not a connecting adverb in German. Instead, it is an adverbial phrase or an expression used to introduce a contrasting statement or to emphasize that something is the opposite of what was previously mentioned.
Explanation:
"Im Gegenteil" translates to "on the contrary" or "quite the opposite" in English.
Function: It is used to introduce a statement that contradicts or opposes what was previously said, but it does not function as a connecting adverb that links clauses in the way that words like "deshalb" or "trotzdem" do.
Example:
Statement: Es war nicht langweilig, im Gegenteil, es war sehr spannend.
Translation: It wasn’t boring, on the contrary, it was very exciting.
While "im Gegenteil" serves a similar function to connecting adverbs by linking ideas or contrasting statements, it is technically an adverbial phrase rather than a connecting adverb.
Last one, what about "laut"?
"Laut" is not a connecting adverb either. Instead, it is a preposition or an adjective, depending on the context in which it is used.
"Laut" as a Preposition:
When used as a preposition, "laut" means "according to" or "as per." It is often used to reference a source or to introduce something that someone else has said or written.
Example:
Laut dem Wetterbericht wird es morgen regnen.
Translation: According to the weather report, it will rain tomorrow.
"Laut" as an Adjective:
When used as an adjective, "laut" means "loud" or "noisy."
Example:
Die Musik war sehr laut.
Translation: The music was very loud.
"Laut" is not a connecting adverb but a preposition or an adjective in German, depending on how it is used. As a preposition, it introduces a source or authority, as shown in the example above.
Conclusion
Mastering main clause connectors in German is essential for clear and coherent communication. You can enhance your writing and speaking skills by understanding the grammar behind them and practising their usage with examples. Incorporate these connectors into your German language repertoire to express yourself more effectively and eloquently.
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