Conjunction 'denn' (because/for, reason)
Konjunktion 'denn' (Grund)
'denn' (because/for) gives a reason; unlike 'weil' the stays normal ( in position 2).
Structure
Hauptsatz + , denn + Hauptsatz (Wortstellung bleibt)
main clause + , denn + main clause (word order stays the same)
Details
- Part of Speech
- Conjunction
- Word Type
- Coordinating conjunction
- Register
- Standard
Explanation
What it is. denn (because/for) is a coordinating that gives a reason. It answers why? by joining two main clauses.
Word order. denn sits in position 0 and does not count as a sentence element, so the clause after it keeps normal word order with the in position 2. A comma is written before denn.
Examples.
- Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin krank. - I'm staying home because I'm ill.
- Wir essen jetzt, denn wir haben Hunger. - We are eating now, because we are hungry.
- Er lernt viel, denn morgen ist die Prüfung. - He studies a lot, because the exam is tomorrow.
Common mistakes - denn vs. weil. Both mean because, but they behave differently:
- After denn (coordinating) the stays in position 2: …, denn ich bin krank.
- After weil (subordinating) the goes to the end: …, weil ich krank bin.
Do not send the to the end after denn, and remember the comma before it.
About Conjunction 'denn' (because/for, reason)
'denn' (because/for) gives a reason; unlike 'weil' the stays normal ( in position 2).
After 'denn' the normal is kept ( in position 2) - it sits in 'position 0'.
'denn' nennt einen Grund; anders als 'weil' bleibt die normal ( an Position 2).
Caution
Don't confuse 'denn' with 'weil': after 'denn' the verb stays in position 2, after 'weil' it goes to the end.