German Grammar Explained /
Causal connectors
Connectors (or conjunctions) are words that connect two clauses.
The first ones we learned were: und, oder, aber and denn. Those are really great because nothing really changes in the word order. The verbs are where we expect them to be:
Ich habe schlecht geschlafen,
denn mein Nachbar war laut.
I slept badly, because my neighbor was loud.
Denn ist rather formal and not very common in spoken language.
When using weil, we learned to put the verb at the end of the subclause.
Ich habe schlecht geschlafen,
weil mein Nachbar laut war.
I slept badly, because my neighbor was loud.
Because we know you like challenges (why would you study German otherwise?), there is another connector we want to introduce to you today: DESHALB (therefore, so, for that reason).
There are two ways to use it:
1. deshalb ⇒ verb
Ich habe schlecht geschlafen, deshalb bin ich müde.
I slept badly, therefore I'm tired.
2. verb ⇒ deshalb
Ich habe schlecht geschlafen, ich bin deshalb müde.
I slept badly, I am therefore tired.
Silence in Germany
Germans have a difficult relationship with noise. They don't like it. While on a German train, make sure you whisper to your friend. On a bus, you might consider text messaging instead of a phone call. This might sound ridiculous, but Germans take silence very seriously. In 1907, the philosopher Theodore Lessing founded the country's first anti-noise association in Hanover, whose members met to discuss how the sounds of the modern world, from factories and cars to weapons of war, would influence the intellectual and cultural world.
That very same year, the pharmacist Max Negwer developed the first modern earplug with the nickname Ohropax, a combination of Ohr (ear) and Latin "pax" (peace). They are still sold to this day!
Tips for German residents
Make sure you respect the Nachtruhe (night's silence) between 10pm and 6am, Sonntagsruhe(all Sunday), Feiertagsruhe (on public holidays) if you want your German neighbors to like you.
If you are planning a party, let them know in advance. Unless it's a small, quiet gathering, it's also common to invite them as a friendly gesture to make up for the noise. Here is a note you can copy:
"Ich wollte Ihnen/dir Bescheid geben, dass ich am Samstagabend meinen Geburtstag feiern werde. Vielleicht wird es ein bisschen laut. Sie sind/Du bist auch herzlich eingeladen!"