Talk #2 | A2-B1 Conjunctive adverbs (Konditionaladverbien)

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Hello and welcome to another episode of the Expertly German Podcast, your podcast to learn German. Hallo und herzlich willkommen zum Expertly German Podcast, dem Podcast, um Deutsch zu lernen. And to get the most out of this, I would suggest you to download this transcript so you can much easier follow what we are talking about. I put this transcript as a PDF document in there, so basically it’s slides that you can use to follow our conversation. Just click on the link buymeacoffee.com which I put in the show notes and then you will see there you can buy it for 1 Euro, which is also helpful for us to continue to do this podcast.

Heute mit dem Gast Luise, today with the guest Luise. Hi Luise, wie geht es dir?

Luise: Sehr gut, vielen Dank.

Okay, perfekt, dann lass uns anfangen mit dem heutigen Thema. Let’s start with today’s topic. Last time we were talking about connector words, conjunctions and subjunctions, Konjunktionen und Subjunktionen. But what we didn’t speak about was? Conjunctive adverbs.

Luise: Oh yeah.

Okay, so let’s take a look what those conjunctive adverbs are about. So, well, there are a couple of conjunctive adverbs, this is not an exhaustive list, it’s not a complete list, but can you just read them and I try to correct you if you make a mistake. And also, if you could say the English translation, that would probably be helpful for the listeners.

Luise: Possibly, why don’t I say the German and you say the English?

Cool, let’s do that.

• Allerdings. Is however and nonetheless, and you said it correctly. Allerdings.
• Auch. Perfect, which is also.
• Außerdem. Yes, nice, in addition.
• Daher. Exactly, daher, which is therefore.
• Deswegen. Nice, deswegen, which is also therefore.
• Sonst. Nice, sonst, which is otherwise or alternatively. I’m trying to remember these as we go. That’s challenging.
• Gleichfalls. Yeah, which is likewise or also. I feel like I’m learning English and you’re learning German. Yeah, I should correct you on your pronunciation, good job, Tom. Gleichfalls, that was correct. Gleichfalls.
• Nur. Yes, so we don’t say nur, which you didn’t do, but it’s almost like a soft A at the end. Nur. Yeah, pretty good, which is only. And the last one on this list is.
• Trotzdem. And that is the most challenging one. Trotzdem means however or nonetheless. Can you try it one more time? Trotzdem. Yeah, well, 90%. You may be forgiven. Trotzdem. Yeah, very good. I’ll work on it. Yeah, good, cool.

All right, so what’s the special thing about conjunctive adverbs? Other than that there are like a different group of connector words. We have a different syntax. Syntax is a fancy word for saying the word order. So we have:

1. The main clause. Then we have the comma.
2. Then we have the connector word. Something like whatever, what did we have? Like deswegen, for example.
3. And then we have the conjugated verb.
4. Then we have the subject.
5. And then we have the rest of the sentence.

Okay, so first part of the sentence is going to be subject, verb, object. Then you have the connector word. And in the second half of the sentence, then after the connector word, it needs to be conjugated verb, subject, rest of the sentence, including the object. Yeah, exactly.

So an example sentence would be this one: “Die Kennzahl stimmt nicht, deswegen muss ich sie neu berechnen.”

Luise: What does deswegen mean again?

Deswegen means therefore. Yes, or because of that.

Luise: So some of this vocabulary is a bit new for me. So die Kennzahl. Yes. What does that mean?

What do you think what it does it mean? Kenn, I feel like means know and zahl means… Number.

So actually that’s quite interesting. So the no number is the metric or the KPI. It’s a number that you know that is important and it’s feminine. Die Kennzahl. So “die Kennzahl stimmt nicht” is the metric or whatever is false. It’s not correct.

And actually if you look at die Kennzahl, I don’t know if you know this, but in German we like to combine existing words into a new word for lack of, I don’t know, creativity. And so the gender of die Kennzahl or whatever those combined words is always the last one. So can is not really a noun, not as far as I can tell. But zahl is then feminine. So if whenever we combine multiple words, nouns into one, the last one is always the one that determines determines determines whatever die Kennzahl, the gender.

Luise: Yeah, that makes sense.

Okay. So die Kennzahl stimmt nicht. Deswegen, which is our connector word.

Luise: And then the back end that you said was muss ich sie neu berechnen? Yeah. So you put muss, which is that like conjugated verb straight after deswegen. Yeah, exactly. Cool. Okay. And deswegen muss ich sie neu berechnen is therefore I have to calculate it again.

Berechnen is calculate. Okay. To calculate something berechnen. That’s really clear. Cool. All right.

Next one. Außerdem, which is furthermore. So there are two sentences. Can you read those and then combine them into a full sentence using the conjunctive adverb?

Luise: Okay. So part one statement is. Okay. There’s a lot of R’s and a lot of Z’s here, which tend to be difficult for me to pronounce it. So I might also need your help with translation here. “Die Rechnung wurde zu spät bezahlt.”

Yes, the zu and bezahlt. That was really good. But wurde, not würde, but wurde.

Luise: Wurde. Okay. One more time. Die Rechnung wurde zu spät bezahlt.

Pretty good. Die Rechnung wurde zu spät bezahlt.

So that means, am I right here? The receipt was late to pay?

Yes, like was paid too late. Die Rechnung, so the receipt or invoice was paid too late. This is a sentence in the passive actually, which we do at another time.

Luise: Okay. And then the second half of the sentence is. Der Betrag auf der Rechnung ist falsch. So I’m not familiar with betrag. What does that mean? The amount. Okay. All right. So the first half of my sentence is saying that the invoice was paid late. My second half of my sentence is saying that the value or the amount of the invoice is not correct. It’s false. So I’m combining these with außerdem, which means furthermore. Okay.

Die Rechnung wurde zu spät bezahlt. Außerdem ist der Betrag auf der Rechnung falsch. Yes.

Außerdem is here furthermore. So: “Die Rechnung wurde zu spät bezahlt, außerdem ist der Betrag auf der Rechnung falsch.” The invoice was paid too late. Furthermore, the amount on the receipt was wrong or is wrong. So that is how we use it. And ist is here the conjugated verb. Der Betrag is the subject. And auf der Rechnung falsch is the rest of the sentence.

Cool. And the next one, sonst, which means otherwise or alternatively.

Luise: Okay. So part one of our sentence here is. Oh, another Z-Word. You love the Z-Words.

I don’t love the Z-Words. Der Zinssatz. We should do tongue breakers at some point. Where I’m saying you’re a German tongue breaker. You know, the tongue twisters. Tongue twisters, not tongue breakers. Well, whatever. They break your tongue and twist your tongue. Der Zinssatz muss steigen.

Luise: And the second part of our sentence is. Es wird eine Inflation geben. So I need to combine those with the connective word sonst, which is otherwise or alternatively. Before I start, what is Zinssatz?

Interest or interest rate.

Luise: Interest rate. Okay. So the interest must steigen.

Increase. Steigen is to increase in this case. So the interest must increase. Or has to increase. The interest rate has to increase. Alternatively. Or otherwise. Or otherwise we’ll have inflation. There will be an inflation. There will be an inflation. So try and combine these using conjunctives.

Again, I don’t know if the content actually is right here. If the logic of that sentence makes sense. But we are learning grammar and not economics. I want to check on that. Der Zinssatz muss steigen, sonst wird es eine Inflation geben. Yes, exactly.

Perfect. What is the subject of the sentence? The subject of the sentence is a verb. No, wait. That’s the conjugated verb. Es. Yes, es. Exactly. Es wird eine Inflation geben. Also der Zinssatz is also the subject.

But that’s the main clause. And that’s the subordinate clause. So der Zinssatz muss steigen.

Cool. All right. So now that we have that, let’s practice that a little bit.

So I tell you a, well, yeah, I tell you a conjunctive adverb. And you have to try to create a sentence with those. Well, at least I help you.

Let’s see how we go. And for you guys who listen, do the exercise as well. Maybe you can come up with other sentences. Or you can figure out the sentences that we want to say, but quicker. Cool. Let’s start with außerdem.

Luise: Außerdem, which means in addition. Okay. So I’m trying to think of vocabulary that I know comfortably. So ich lerne Deutsch. Außerdem. Did I get this right? Lerne ich Spanisch.

Ja, ich lerne Deutsch. Außerdem lerne ich Spanisch. So I put my lerne straight after my außerdem. And then, yeah. Yes. Subject to object.

Yeah, exactly. That’s how it goes. That’s my level. Okay. Cool. Then let’s go with allerdings.

Luise: Allerdings. So however or nonetheless. Yeah. Okay. I’m thinking about using my same sentence, but with each of these in a different scenario, because that’s super easy. Well, smart strategy. Ich lerne Deutsch, allerdings.. “Ich lerne Deutsch, allerdings lerne ich nicht schneller.” Yeah. How would you say that? Like, I’m learning it, however I’m not learning it fast.

Maybe, don’t take this as an insult. Maybe you could say, ich lerne Deutsch, allerdings bin ich noch nicht so gut.

Luise: Gosh. Okay, say that one more time. “Ich lerne Deutsch, allerdings bin ich noch nicht so gut.”

It’s never easy, is it? It’s never easy. Well, if German would be an easy language, then everybody could speak it. Then no one would be here.

Luise: What about just saying, like, also just not that fast? Allerdings nicht so schnell. Allerdings lerne ich Deutsch nicht so schnell.

Yeah, you could say that. It’s not the most beautiful sentence, but you could say that. Ich lerne Deutsch, allerdings lerne ich die Sprache oder Deutsch nicht so schnell. Yeah.

All right. Well, let’s- I like especially where I get to make you do the exercise. Yeah, I give you the point. All right, cool. So next one is deswegen, which is?

Deswegen is therefore, or one of the ways you can say therefore. Ich lerne Deutsch, deswegen bin ich intelligent.

Yes, exactly. I don’t know if that is true. I mean, you are intelligent, but I don’t know if learning German makes you more intelligent. But yes, the grammar is correct. Perfect. And now the final one is trotzdem. Can you think of a sentence with trotzdem?

Luise: What does trotzdem mean?

Trotzdem means however or nonetheless, which is very similar to our first example of allerdings.

Luise: So I’m going to just completely cheat here as a nice way to end the lesson.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Luise: Okay, no. Fine, I’ll come up with a different sentence. Ich wohne in Berlin, trotzdem möchte. Möchte. Möchte… 

Möchte. Möchte. She’s just washing me up now.

Luise: I said the same word. You say möchte, I say möchte. Möchte.

Luise: Okay, so ich wohne in Berlin. Trotzdem möchte ich wohnen. Well, let’s go with the sentence. Ich wohne in Berlin. Trotzdem spreche ich noch nicht so gut Deutsch. Oh, fine. I was going to say I would like to live in the countryside. 

Ich wohne in Berlin, trotzdem möchte ich lieber auf dem Land wohnen.

Luise: Yeah, that’s what I was going to say. Exactly, yeah. Trotzdem möchte ich lieber auf dem Land wohnen.

I hope you kind of learned something today. Certainly the word möchte was an improvement, hopefully. Thank you very much for listening and learning, guys.

I hope you enjoyed this one and tell us more if you didn’t or if you want to hear more episodes like this. Do you want to say anything at the end? No, I think that’s enough for me, but thanks so much for having me. So, thank you very much.

Cheers, guys, and bis bald.