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What are Subordinate Clauses?
Normally, subordinate clauses give additional information related to the main clause and cannot stand alone. They are joined to the main clause with conjunctions (dass, wenn, weil, …) or relative pronouns.
The conjugated verb goes at the end of the clause.
Word Order in Subordinate Clauses
Subordinate clauses must be separated from the main clause with a comma.
Word Order: Subordinate Clause After the Main Clause: MC + SC
The main clause keeps the regular word order with the verb in position 2. In the subordinate clause the verb goes to the end.
| Main Clause | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conjunction | Subject | End | ||
| Ich gehe nicht zum Arzt, | weil | ich | wieder gesund | bin. |
| Ich kaufe mir ein Auto, | wenn | ich | genug Geld | habe. |
Word Order: Subordinate Clause Before the Main Clause: SC + MC
The entire SC is position 1 of the main clause. The conjugated verb of the main clause stays, as usual, in position 2.
Only the verb of the subordinate clause goes to the end of the clause. The subject stays at the front. The main clause is separated from the subordinate clause by a comma.
| Conjunction | Subject | SC-End | Verb | Subject | Rest | |
| Weil | ich | wieder gesund | bin, | gehe | ich | nicht zum Arzt. |
| Wenn | ich | Geld | habe, | kaufe | ich | mir ein Auto. |
Position 1 | Position 2 | |||||
Word Order: Separable Verbs
For separable verbs we must also follow the rule: conjugated verb at the end.
But now, because the verb stem is also at the end, the prefix is no longer separated.
- „Wenn ich das Fenster aufmache, wird es kalt.“
In comparison to: „Ich mache das Fenster auf.“
Word Order: More than one Verb in a Sentence
For modal verbs, the perfect tense, the passive form, etc., there‘s more than one verb in the sentence.
It still applies: conjugated verb at the end of the clause.
- „Ich habe keine Zeit, weil ich noch einkaufen gehen muss.“
In comparison to: „Ich habe keine Zeit.“ „Ich muss noch einkaufen gehen.“
Word Order: Exception
For perfect or past perfect there is an exception to the rule: conjugated verb at the end.
Modal verbs and verbs that are used with a 2. verb in the infinitive (i.e.: „lassen„, „sehen“, „hören“) have an irregular word order in perfect and past perfect tense. The helping verb haben goes IN FRONT of the two other verbs (i.e. main verb + modal verb):
As Main Clause:
- „Ich habe meine Mutter vom Bahnhof abholen müssen.“
As Subordinate Clause:
- „…, weil ich meine Mutter vom Bahnhof habe abholen müssen.“
Besides the modal verbs, „lassen“, „sehen“, and „hören“ CAN be used with a second infinitive verb. If they are so used, the helping verb goes before the main verb as well.
Now you know why Germans, when possible, use the simple past tense instead of the perfect tense with modal verbs.
Because: The exception only applies to perfect tense + modal verbs (and when „lassen“, „sehen“, and „ hören“ are used with two infinitives)
Further Information
- Subordinate clauses start with subordinate conjunctions: „dass“, „weil/da“, „obwohl“, „damit“, „wenn/falls“, „so dass“, „indem“ and „als/wenn“
- Infinitive Phrases (infinitive with zu) and Infinitive Constructions (um/anstatt/ohne … zu) are subordinate clauses as well.
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