2.32 Connectors for a paragraph — Epoché
What you will be able to do Link sentences into a paragraph with connecting adverbs: zunächst , außerdem , allerdings , trotzdem , daher , schließlich . Put the verb in the right place after a connector in first position: Trotzdem hatte ich Erfolg. Contrast two people or things with hingegen : Du bist jung; ich hingegen bin sehr alt. Choose between connectors that look alike in English: aber and allerdings , trotzdem and dennoch , schließlich and endlich . Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Sie ist sehr vorsichtig; daher macht sie selten Fehler. [1] She is very careful, so she seldom makes mistakes. Nicht alles verlief nach Plan. [2] Not everything went according to plan. Sie lernt Französisch, ich hingegen Flämisch. [3] She studies French, but I study Flemish. Es war schon spät, aber ich habe ihn trotzdem angerufen. [4] It was late, but I called him anyway. Du magst es nicht glauben, aber es ist dennoch wahr. [5] You may not believe it, but it is nonetheless true. Er hatte kein Geld und konnte daher keine Lebensmittel kaufen. [6] He had no money and so could not buy any food. Ich habe alles so gemacht, wie du gesagt hast, trotzdem funktioniert es nicht. [7] I did everything as you said, but despite that, it isn't working. Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben endlich fertig gemacht; jetzt kann ich ins Bett gehen. [8] I have finally finished my homework; now I can go to bed. Prerequisites : 2.31 — you need the verb in second position from 2.1 Grammar , the coordinating conjunctions from 2.11 Grammar , the subordinating conjunctions from 2.12 Grammar , and the paired conjunctions from 2.31 Grammar . German links sentences with three kinds of word, and they behave differently. Coordinating conjunctions ( und , aber , denn ) stand outside the sentence and do not move the verb. Subordinating conjunctions ( weil , obwohl ) send the verb to the end. The third kind, the subject of this lesson, are adverbs: trotzdem , deshalb , außerdem . They are parts of the sentence, so when they come first, the verb follows immediately. These connecting adverbs are what make a series of sentences read as a text, and German writers use them more densely than English writers do. This lesson closes the grammar volume of the phase. The connectors Function German English order zunächst , dann , schließlich first, at first; then; finally, in the end addition außerdem besides, moreover, furthermore restriction allerdings however, though, admittedly concession trotzdem , dennoch nevertheless, all the same, still consequence daher , deshalb therefore, that is why contrast hingegen on the other hand, whereas alternative stattdessen instead reason given as obvious schließlich (middle field or first position) after all side remark; summing up übrigens ; jedenfalls by the way; anyway, in any case All of them can stand in first position, followed by the verb, or in the middle field after the verb. hingegen usually comes directly after the word it contrasts: ich hingegen . übrigens at the start of a sentence is often followed by a comma, as a separate remark: Übrigens, woher bist du? In real sentences Order. German English Zunächst glaubten sie ihm nicht. [9] At first, they didn't believe him. Zunächst verlief alles nach Plan. [10] At first, everything proceeded according to plan. Schließlich entkam ich. [11] I finally escaped. Addition and restriction. German English Außerdem kann er Hebräisch lesen. [12] Above and beyond this, he can read Hebrew. Außerdem kann ich nicht tanzen. [13] Furthermore, I don't know how to dance. Allerdings habe ich kein Geld. [14] However, I have no money. Concession and consequence. Notice the verb directly after the connector. German English Trotzdem hatte ich Erfolg. [15] Despite that, I succeeded. Trotzdem ist es wahr. [16] It is none the less true. Ich habe es dennoch versucht. [17] I tried it nonetheless. Er hat dennoch recht gehabt. [18] He was right nonetheless. Daher verlor er das gesamte Geld. [19] Thus, he lost all the money. Daher kam ich zu spät zum Unterricht. [20] This is why I was late for school. Contrast and alternative. German English Du bist jung; ich hingegen bin sehr alt. [21] You are young. I, on the other hand, am very old. Ich esse Fleisch, meine Frau hingegen nicht. [22] I eat meat, but my wife doesn't. Stattdessen habe ich ein Fahrrad gekauft. [23] I bought a bicycle instead. Du kannst stattdessen am Montag kommen. [24] You can come on Monday instead. By the way; anyway. (For schließlich meaning after all , see below.) German English Übrigens, woher bist du? [25] By the way, where are you from? Jedenfalls ist das eine Illusion. [26] In any case, that's an illusion. How English does it The verb follows the connector. English puts the subject first even after a connecting adverb: Nevertheless, I succeeded. German treats the adverb as the first element of the sentence, so the verb comes second and the subject third: Trotzdem hatte ich Erfolg. This is the single most common error English speakers make with these words. The comma in English is a useful warning: wherever English writes However, or Therefore, with a comma, German normally writes the connector without a comma and the verb at once. Übrigens used as a separate remark, as in Übrigens, woher bist du? , is the exception. aber is not allerdings . Both translate as but or however . As a conjunction, aber stands outside the sentence: …, aber ich habe kein Geld. allerdings is an adverb and takes first position or a place in the middle field: Allerdings habe ich kein Geld. allerdings also softens: it restricts what was said without denying it, like English though at the end of a sentence. schließlich has two meanings. About events in sequence, it is finally : Schließlich entkam ich. In an argument it means after all , a reason the listener should accept: Du hattest schließlich recht. In this sense it can also stand in first position, so only the