German Grammar Explained /
Two-part conjunctions
No matter how good your German already is, there are always some tricks that you can learn so you can express yourself better :)
Today you’re going to learn about two-part conjunctions, zweiteilige Konnektoren. They are used to connect two main (independent) clauses or two parts of a sentence.
Two-part conjunctions are like best friends. They always want to do everything together and if you see or hear one, you know that the other one is not going to be far behind. You can’t use just one without the other and they can’t go with anyone besides their bestie.
Because they always come in specific pairs, the best way to remember them is to learn each pair as a unit.
Two-part conjunctions, also known as compound conjunctions, are used to describe the relationship between two things or two situations.
Let’s divide them by the function that they carry out:
Compound conjunctions | Function |
|---|---|
nicht nur... sondern auch
not only...but also |
positive Aufzählung
positive listing
|
sowohl... als auch both...and also | positive Aufzählung positive listing |
weder... noch neither...nor | negative Aufzählung negative listing |
entweder... oder either...or | Alternative |
einerseits... andererseits on the one hand...on the other | Gegensatz contrast |
zwar... aber indeed (x)...but (y) | Einschränkung (positiv ↔ negativ) limitation (positive ↔ negative) |
The first part of a two-part conjunction can be placed in various places in a sentence, but the second part is always in the same place (oder and aber stay in position 0).
Wir gehen heute | entweder zum Italiener | oder (wir gehen) in das griechische Restaurant. |
Entweder gehen wir | heute zum Italiener | oder (wir gehen) in das griechische Restaurant. |
Wir sehen uns | zwar nicht oft, | aber wir bleiben Freunde. |
Zwar sehen wir uns | nicht oft, | aber wir bleiben Freunde. |
Two-part conjunctions are great for expressing yourself clearly and being able to make well thought out points in discussions :)