German connectors from B1 to B2: the three groups, how each changes word order, and the linking words that lift your writing and speaking.
The fastest way to make your German sound like a B2 speaker instead of a B1 one is not more vocabulary. It is better connectors. Konnektoren are the words that join ideas: weil, obwohl, deshalb, trotzdem, je ... desto. Examiners reward the range and accuracy of your linking, because it shows you can build an argument, not just list facts. The catch is that connectors control word order, and different groups move the verb to different places. This guide sorts them into three groups by what they do to the verb, so you always know where it goes.
Why connectors decide your B2 level
At B1 you can get by with und, aber, oder, and weil. At B2 the exam expects you to show contrast, concession, cause, consequence, and condition with precision. A B1 candidate writes "Es war teuer. Ich habe es gekauft." A B2 candidate writes "Obwohl es teuer war, habe ich es gekauft." Same idea, but the second version signals concession and controls the word order correctly. Coherence and range are named criteria in the writing and speaking marking, so connectors are not decoration. They are where the marks are.
The three groups, sorted by what they do to the verb
Every connector belongs to one of three groups, and the group tells you where the verb goes. Learn the group, not 40 separate rules.
| Group | Examples | Effect on the verb |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinating conjunctions | und, aber, oder, denn, sondern | No change. Verb stays in second position. |
| Subordinating conjunctions | weil, dass, obwohl, wenn, damit, während | Verb goes to the end of the clause. |
| Conjunctional adverbs | deshalb, trotzdem, dennoch, außerdem | They take first position, so the verb comes before the subject. |
Almost every word-order mistake at B1 to B2 comes from putting a connector in the wrong group. Fix that, and the verb falls into place automatically.
Group 1: coordinating conjunctions (verb stays put)
These five join two main clauses without touching the word order. A useful memory hook is ADUSO: aber, denn, und, sondern, oder. The verb stays in second position in both clauses.
- Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin krank. I am staying home, because I am ill.
- Sie lernt nicht Spanisch, sondern Deutsch. She is not learning Spanish, but German. (sondern only follows a negation and corrects it.)
Note the difference between denn and weil. Both mean because, but denn is coordinating (verb second: denn ich bin krank) while weil is subordinating (verb last: weil ich krank bin). They are a favourite exam trap.
Group 2: subordinating conjunctions (verb to the end)
This is the biggest group and the one that lifts you to B2. A subordinating conjunction opens a subordinate clause and sends the conjugated verb to the very end.
- Cause: weil, da. Ich komme später, weil ich noch arbeiten muss.
- Concession (contrast): obwohl. Obwohl es regnete, gingen wir spazieren. When the clause comes first, the main clause then starts with its verb.
- Purpose: damit (two different subjects) or um ... zu (same subject). Ich lerne jeden Tag, damit ich die Prüfung bestehe, but Ich lerne jeden Tag, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
- Time: während, bevor, nachdem, als, wenn. With nachdem, shift the tense back: Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich schlafen.
The single rule to internalise: after any of these words, keep writing until the verb, and put the verb last. If there are two verbs, the conjugated one is the final word: ... weil ich arbeiten muss.
Group 3: conjunctional adverbs (verb before subject)
Words like deshalb, deswegen, trotzdem, dennoch, außerdem, and danach are adverbs, not conjunctions. They usually open the sentence and occupy first position, which pushes the verb ahead of the subject (inversion).
- Consequence: Ich bin krank. Deshalb bleibe ich zu Hause. (verb bleibe before subject ich)
- Concession: Es war teuer. Trotzdem habe ich es gekauft.
Here is the classic pairing to master: obwohl and trotzdem both express concession, but they are in different groups. Obwohl is subordinating (verb to the end), while trotzdem is an adverb (inversion). Say the same idea both ways and you have shown real B2 control.
Two-part connectors that signal B2
Paired connectors are an easy, high-value way to show range. Use one or two naturally in a writing task and you visibly lift the level.
- nicht nur ... sondern auch: Sie spricht nicht nur Deutsch, sondern auch Französisch.
- sowohl ... als auch (both ... and): Sowohl die Miete als auch das Essen sind teuer.
- entweder ... oder / weder ... noch: Ich trinke weder Kaffee noch Tee.
- zwar ... aber (admittedly ... but): Das Zimmer ist zwar klein, aber sehr hell.
- je ... desto (the more ... the more): Je mehr ich übe, desto sicherer werde ich. The je clause sends its verb to the end, and the desto clause uses inversion.
A worked upgrade: three B1 sentences into one B2 sentence
Take three simple statements: Die Wohnung ist klein. Sie ist teuer. Ich möchte sie mieten. At B1 that is three short sentences. At B2 you combine them and mark the relationships:
Obwohl die Wohnung klein und ziemlich teuer ist, möchte ich sie trotzdem mieten, weil sie zentral liegt.
One sentence, three connectors from two different groups, all in the correct word order. That is the exact move examiners reward. You do not need long words, you need the right links.
How to actually use connectors in the exam
Do not try to use all of them. Pick a small set you can place correctly under pressure and vary them on purpose. In the writing section, plan one concession (obwohl or trotzdem) and one consequence (deshalb) into your text before you start. In speaking, weil and deshalb alone already make your answers sound structured. Because coherence is a scored criterion, a text that links its ideas cleanly beats one with fancier vocabulary but no flow. For where these skills are tested, see the Goethe B2 exam guide and the Schreiben writing guide. Connectors also depend on getting the case and verb endings right, so if those still wobble, review the German cases first. The rules only stick with practice, so drill them in short daily sets using the free grammar tools below rather than only reading the table.
The comma rule that trips people up
Connectors decide your commas too, and wrong commas are an easy way to lose accuracy marks. Three rules cover almost every case. First, a subordinate clause is always separated by a comma, wherever it sits: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin, and equally Weil ich krank bin, bleibe ich zu Hause. Second, among the coordinating conjunctions, put a comma before aber, denn, and sondern, but not before und or oder when they simply join two parts. Third, a conjunctional adverb sits inside its own clause, so the break comes before it: Es war teuer, trotzdem habe ich es gekauft. Get these three right and your punctuation stops leaking marks.
Frequently asked questions
Both mean because. Weil is subordinating, so the verb goes to the end: weil ich krank bin. Denn is coordinating, so the verb stays in second position: denn ich bin krank. The meaning is the same, but the word order is not, and mixing them up is a common exam error. In writing, weil is the safer default because it is used more widely.
They both express concession, but they belong to different groups. Obwohl is a subordinating conjunction and sends the verb to the end: Obwohl es regnet, bleibe ich draußen. Trotzdem is an adverb and causes inversion: Es regnet. Trotzdem bleibe ich draußen. Being able to say one idea both ways is a clear sign of B2 control.
Yes, but as three short lists, not one long one. The group is the only thing that tells you where the verb goes. Once you know that weil is subordinating and deshalb is an adverb, the word order is automatic. Learn the connectors in their groups from the start rather than one at a time.
For a single completed event in the past, use als: Als ich klein war, wohnte ich in Berlin. For repeated past events or present and future conditions, use wenn: Immer wenn es regnete, blieben wir zu Hause. A quick test: if you can add "every time", use wenn; if it happened once, use als.
Yes, and doing it well reads as B2. With a subordinating conjunction, the whole subordinate clause fills first position, so the main clause verb comes right after the comma: Weil ich krank bin, bleibe ich zu Hause. Notice the two verbs meet around the comma (bin, bleibe). Starting with obwohl or weil is a simple way to vary your sentence openings instead of beginning every sentence with the subject.
