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Grammar notes
These five words are Germany's classic "ADUSO" conjunctions (aber, denn, und, sondern, oder). Unlike weil, obwohl, damit, and the other subordinating connectors, they join two independent, verb-second clauses — the word order never changes on either side.
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| und | Adding a second idea ("and") | Ich koche, und er deckt den Tisch. |
| oder | Offering an alternative ("or") | Möchtest du Tee oder Kaffee? |
| aber | A general contrast ("but") — works after both positive and negative clauses | Ich mag Kaffee, aber ich trinke lieber Tee. |
| denn | Giving a reason ("because/for") | Wir bleiben drinnen, denn es ist kalt draußen. |
| sondern | Replacing a rejected statement with the correct one ("but rather") — only after nicht/kein | Ich trinke keinen Kaffee, sondern Tee. |
The trickiest pair is aber vs. sondern. Both can translate as "but," but sondern only appears after a negation, when the second half corrects or replaces the first (not X, but rather Y). If the first clause isn't negated, or the second clause doesn't contradict/replace it, use aber instead.
Und, Aber, Sondern & More: Joining Two Main Clauses
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Ich mag Kaffee, ich trinke lieber Tee.