In Einheit 3.4 you learned about the subordinating conjunction “weil“. It is used to give a reason and to connect a dependent clause to a main clause. Remember: the subordinating conjunction kicks the verb to the end of the dependent clause. Here are some more subordinating conjunctions, for example “wenn” (=when, if), “dass” (=that), and “ob” (whether, if).

1. Tim muss viel lernen, weil er schlechte Noten hat.

2. Er darf wieder Videospiele spielen, wenn er bessere Noten hat.

3. Wenn Tobias sein Zimmer aufräumt, darf er am Sonntag mit Tim Skateboard fahren.

4. Tim denkt, dass er zu viel lernen muss.

5. Er fragt seinen Vater, ob er am Samstag mit Anna Videospiele spielen darf.

If there is a modal verb and a regular verb in the dependent clause, the regular verb stays in the infinitive, and the modal verb is conjugated and placed at the very end of the sentence (examples 4 and 5).

*ACHTUNG* Students sometimes get “wenn” and “ob” confused. Here is a further explanation when to use which one:

ob – expresses doubt, wondering or when you have two options (Ich weiß nicht, ob Tobias zu Hause ist.)

wenn – expresses condition (Wenn du in Kanada bist, musst du mich besuchen.)

Here is a great video that helps to explain this further and has lots of further examples.