und, oder, aber, denn, sondern — German Coordinating Conjunctions (Word Order Stays)
The five coordinating conjunctions und, oder, aber, denn and sondern link two main clauses without changing word order — they sit before position 1, so the verb stays in second position.
German has five coordinating conjunctions: und (and), oder (or), aber (but), denn (because/for) and sondern (but rather). They join two equal main clauses and sit in position 0 — before the sentence really starts. Because they occupy no sentence slot, the verb of the second clause stays in the normal second position.
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| und | and |
| oder | or |
| aber | but |
| denn | because / for |
| sondern | but (rather) |
Der Mann liest, und die Frau schläft. — the verb schläft stays second.
The tricky pair is aber vs. sondern. Use sondern only after a negation (nicht / kein) when you correct it: Das ist nicht der Vater, sondern der Freund. Use aber for a plain contrast without correction: Das Auto ist alt, aber gut.
English contrast: unlike English because (which sends nothing to the end here), German denn keeps normal word order — do not confuse it with weil, which pushes the verb to the end.
Examples
Der Mann liest ein Buch, und die Frau trinkt Wasser.
The man reads a book, and the woman drinks water.
Das Kind ist müde, aber es schläft nicht.
The child is tired, but it is not sleeping.
Das ist nicht mein Hund, sondern deine Katze.
That is not my dog, but rather your cat.
Wir bleiben zu Hause, denn das Wetter ist schlecht.
We are staying home, because the weather is bad.
Trinkst du Wasser oder Kaffee?
Do you drink water or coffee?
Common mistakes
After a negation (nicht/kein) that is corrected by the alternative, use *sondern*, not *aber*. *Aber* is only for a plain contrast without replacing the negated item.
*denn* sits in position 0 and does NOT change word order — the verb *ist* stays in second position after the subject. Do not treat *denn* like *weil* (which sends the verb to the end).
Related topics
Practice
Das ist nicht mein Bruder, ___ mein Freund.
Wir bleiben zu Hause, ___ das Wetter ist schlecht.
Das Auto ist alt, ___ es fährt noch gut.