Linking ideas
Weil, dass and wenn send the verb to the end; der, die and das for "who" and "which"; and wo and was at Higher.
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Linking ideas, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Send the verb to the end after weil, dass and wenn
Subordinating words send the verb to the end of their clause: Ich lerne Deutsch, weil es interessant ist, Ich glaube, dass er krank ist, Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause. Others are ob (whether), als (when, in the past), obwohl (although), bevor, nachdem and während.
Put a comma before the subordinate clause
A subordinate clause is always set off by a comma: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
Start with the subordinate clause and the main verb comes next
A subordinate clause at the start counts as the first idea, so the main verb follows it straight after the comma: Weil ich krank bin, bleibe ich zu Hause.
Use der, die and das for who and which
A relative pronoun matches the gender of the noun it refers to, and its verb goes to the end: der Mann, der in Berlin wohnt, die Frau, die Ärztin ist, das Haus, das alt ist. In the plural it is die: die Leute, die hier arbeiten.
Know the difference between wenn, als and wann
Wenn is if or whenever; als is when, for one time in the past (Als ich zehn war, ...); wann asks when (Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt).
Put two verbs at the end, and use wo and wasHigher only
With two verbs, the conjugated one comes last: weil ich früh aufstehen muss, dass sie nach Berlin gefahren ist. Wo links a place (die Stadt, wo ich wohne) and was follows alles, etwas and nichts (alles, was ich weiß).
Linking ideas key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Subordinating conjunction
- A linking word that sends the verb to the end: weil, dass, wenn, ob, obwohl.
- Subordinate clause
- A clause that cannot stand alone, with its verb at the end: weil ich müde bin.
- Relative pronoun
- Who, which or that: der, die, das, matching the noun it refers to.
- Relative clause
- A clause that describes a noun, starting with a relative pronoun: der Junge, der dort steht.
- Verb-final word order
- The verb at the end of a subordinate or relative clause.
Common mistakes in Linking ideas
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Leaving the verb second after weil, as in weil ich bin müde.
The verb goes to the end: weil ich müde bin.
Leaving out the comma, as in Ich weiß dass du recht hast.
A comma goes before the subordinate clause: Ich weiß, dass du recht hast.
Using was for who, as in der Mann, was dort wohnt.
Use the relative pronoun of the noun's gender: der Mann, der dort wohnt.
Using wenn for one past event, as in Wenn ich zehn war.
For one time in the past, use als: Als ich zehn war.
Practice
Try a Linking ideas question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which word completes the sentence? ___ es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause. (As it's raining, we're staying at home.)
- Denn
- Aber
- Dass
- Da
Show the answer and the working
Answer: Da
Da means as or since (because), and sends the verb to the end: Da es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause.
- The first clause gives a reason, with regnet at the end.
- Da (as, since) sends the verb to the end.
- Then verb, comma, verb: bleiben wir.