Connecting Main Clauses: "und," "oder," and "aber"

1. The Golden Rule: Position 0 Conjunctions

The three words we are focusing on belong to a group called coordinating conjunctions (nebenordnende Konjunktionen). The most important thing to know about them is that they follow a very simple and powerful rule: they do not change the word order of the clauses they connect.

You'll recall the verb-second (V2) rule, where the conjugated verb always holds the second position in a simple declarative sentence. When you connect two such sentences with und, oder, or aber, each clause maintains its V2 structure. The conjunction itself sits between them in what is called "position 0," meaning it doesn't count as part of the grammatical structure of the second clause.

Here's the pattern:
Main Clause 1 + Conjunction (Position 0) + Main Clause 2 (Subject in Pos. 1, Verb in Pos. 2)

Example: Ich lerne Deutsch, **aber** es ist schwer. (I am learning German, but it is difficult.)

• Clause 1: Ich lerne Deutsch. (Verb lerne is in position 2).
• Position 0: aber
• Clause 2: es ist schwer. (Subject es is in position 1, Verb ist is in position 2).

The following resources provide an excellent overview of this concept. While they mention a few other conjunctions, our focus today is strictly on und, oder, and aber.

If you prefer a video format, the author presents the same information here.

2. The Conjunctions in Action

Let's break down each conjunction with examples relevant to your interests.

und (and)

Use und to add ideas or list items, just like "and" in English.

• Ich spiele gern Videospiele **und** ich schaue gern Vlogs. (I like playing video games and I like watching vlogs.)

To sound more natural, if the subject of both clauses is the same, you can omit it in the second clause.

• Ich spiele gern Videospiele **und** schaue gern Vlogs.

oder (or)

Use oder to present an alternative or a choice.

• Möchtest du heute Abend zocken **oder** einen Film sehen? (Do you want to game tonight or watch a movie?)
• Du kannst in Deutschland studieren **oder** du kannst in Österreich studieren. (You can study in Germany or you can study in Austria.)

aber (but)

Use aber to show a contrast or an exception. When connecting two full sentences, you should place a comma before aber.

• Ich mag das Spiel, **aber** ich habe keine Zeit. (I like the game, but I don't have time.)
• Der neue Controller gefällt mir, **aber** er ist sehr teuer. (I like the new controller, but it is very expensive.)

The image below provides a nice visual summary of some of these conjunctions in use.

3. Practice Makes Perfect

Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned. The image below contains two exercises. Try to fill in the blanks with the correct conjunction: und, aber, or oder.

Take a moment to complete the exercises mentally or on a piece of paper. Once you're done, check your answers below.

Answers

Übung 1 (Exercise 1)

1. Hans wohnt in Rostock **und** studiert auch dort. (Hans lives in Rostock and also studies there.) - Reason: Adding a second, related piece of information.
2. Ich möchte sehr gern ins Kino gehen, **aber** ich habe keine Zeit. (I would really like to go to the cinema, but I don't have time.) - Reason: A contrast between desire and reality.
3. Geht ihr jetzt ins Kino, **oder** macht ihr erst eure Hausaufgaben? (Are you going to the cinema now, or are you doing your homework first?) - Reason: Presenting an alternative.
4. Ich gehe jetzt ins Warenhaus **und** kaufe dort eine Kamera. (I'm going to the department store now and buying a camera there.) - Reason: A sequence of actions.
5. Kaufst du dir einen Mantel, **oder** nimmst du eine Jacke? (Are you buying yourself a coat, or are you taking a jacket?) - Reason: A choice between two items.

Übung 2 (Exercise 2)

Thomas bekommt heute Besuch. Kristina und Monika kommen, **und** sein Freund Klaus kommt auch. Monika und Kristina kommen um 4 Uhr, **aber** Klaus kommt später als sie. Er arbeitet bis 3 Uhr, dann geht er noch in die Bibliothek, **und** auf die Post geht er auch noch. Um 6 Uhr sind alle bei Thomas. Sie essen Abendbrot. Dann fragt Hans: "Was möchtet ihr jetzt machen? Möchtet ihr tanzen, **oder** möchtet ihr nur Musik hören? Musik von 'Juli' **oder** von 'Wir sind Helden'?" Die Mädchen möchten tanzen, **aber** Klaus möchte lieber Musik hören.

This short story is a great example of how these simple words create a narrative flow, connecting different events and character preferences.

Conclusion

Great job today! You have learned one of the most practical and frequently used grammatical structures in German. By mastering und, oder, and aber, you can now move beyond simple, isolated statements and begin to weave your thoughts together into more complex and meaningful sentences.

Key Takeaways:

• Coordinating Conjunctions: und, oder, and aber connect words, phrases, or main clauses.
• The Position 0 Rule: These conjunctions do not affect the V2 word order of the clauses they connect. The verb remains in the second position in each clause.
• und adds information.
• oder presents an alternative.
• aber introduces a contrast, and is usually preceded by a comma when linking two full sentences.

In our next lesson, we'll learn another way to express opinions using the verb finden (e.g., Ich finde das Spiel interessant - I find the game interesting). You'll then be able to combine this new structure with the conjunctions you learned today to express even more nuanced ideas.

Bis zum nächsten Mal