German transition words: A complete guide for language learners

By signaling the relationship between different ideas, they can help your speech and writing flow in a more natural way. Transition words are surprisingly versatile — you can use them to show logical sequence, clarify cause and effect, summarize a series of ideas and more.

It can be helpful to think of German transition words as signposts, guiding your reader or listener step-by-step through your thoughts. Whether you’re writing an essay or telling a story to a friend, using the right transition words can make your German clearer and more structured.

• What are transition words in German and why are they important?
• Categories of German transition words with examples
• Understanding word order with transition words
• Top 20 most useful German transition words for learners
• Formal vs informal transition words: When and where to use them
• FAQs

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What are transition words in German and why are they important?

Transition words in German, also called Konnektoren, are words or phrases that connect ideas and sentences. Mastering Konnektoren is essential for achieving fluency, as these words make conversations sound natural and give structure and clarity to texts. 

In German grammar, transition words can take different forms:

• Adverbs: zuerst, dann, deshalb, besonders
• Conjunctions: und, aber, weil
• Phrases: zum Beispiel, darüber hinaus, im Gegensatz dazu

Categories of German transition words with examples

For adding information

You can use various German adverbs as transition words to add extra information and make your sentences clearer:

• Außerdem is neutral and widely used in both everyday speech and writing.
• Darüber hinaus sounds more formal and works well in essays, presentations or professional emails.
• Zudem is also formal and often appears in structured or academic writing.

For giving reasons or causes

Causal transition words in German explain why something happens. Each has its own tone, grammatical behavior and typical context.

Weil and da, for example, are subordinating conjunctions; they introduce dependent clauses and move the verb to the end. Denn, on the other hand, is a coordinating conjunction; it connects two main clauses and maintains the standard word order. There are also adverbs like nämlich, which usually comes after the statement that needs explaining.

It’s important to note that weil and denn can both express causality, but they differ in usage:

	weil	denn
Type	Subordinating conjunction	Coordinating conjunction
Word order	Verb goes to the end	Verb stays in second position
Formality	Neutral; very common in spoken German	More formal; common in written German

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For showing results or consequences

To express cause-and-effect relationships, German often uses transition words like deshalb, deswegen and somit. These are adverbs that introduce logical results, particularly in writing and formal contexts. 

When a sentence or clause begins with deshalb or somit, it follows the verb-second rule of German main clauses. In other words, the verb remains in the second position:

• Ich hatte Urlaub, deshalb habe ich Ihre E-Mail nicht gelesen. (I was on vacation, so I didn’t read your email.)
• Somit ist das Gespräch beendet. (Therefore, the conversation is over.) 

For contrasts and concessions

To highlight a contrast or make a concession in German, you can choose from a group of transition words including aber, doch, trotzdem, jedoch and dennoch. These show disagreement, exceptions or a shift in perspective. 

All of these words introduce some type of contrast, but they differ in tone, placement and formality. Let’s look at the differences between aber and jedoch, for example:

	aber	jedoch
Meaning	but	however, but
Position	Typically before the clause	Often mid-sentence or after the verb
Formality	Neutral; very common in spoken German	More formal; common in written German
Tone	Direct and conversational	Polite and impersonal

For showing time or sequence

When telling a story or describing a process in German, you can create logical order by using time-related transition words like zuerst, dann, danach and schließlich:

• Zuerst stehe ich auf, dann gehe ich ins Bad, danach frühstücke ich und schließlich fahre ich zur Arbeit. (First I get up, then I go to the bathroom, afterwards I have breakfast and finally I drive to work.)
• Zuerst öffnen Sie die Verpackung, danach entnehmen Sie alle Teile, prüfen diese auf Vollständigkeit und schließlich beginnen Sie mit dem Zusammenbau. (First, open the packaging, then remove all the parts, check that all parts are complete and finally start the assembly.)

For summarizing or concluding

When wrapping up a thought, an argument or a message in German, you can use expressions like zum Schluss, letztendlich and im Großen und Ganzen. These phrases are especially useful in emails and essays:

• Zum Schluss möchte ich mich noch einmal für Ihre Unterstützung bedanken. (Finally, I’d like to thank you again for your support.)
• Letztendlich zeigt die Studie, wie wichtig Umweltschutz ist. (Ultimately, the study shows how important environmental protection is.)
• Im Großen und Ganzen bin ich mit dem Ergebnis zufrieden. (Overall, I am satisfied with the result.)

Understanding word order with transition words

Using transition words in German requires understanding the language’s basic sentence structure. In a standard main clause, the verb always stays in the second position. In a subordinating clause, the verb moves to the end of the clause.

This explains why coordinating conjunctions (e.g., denn) don’t change the word order, while subordinating conjunctions (e.g., weil) do:

• Heute arbeite ich nicht, denn ich habe frei. (I’m not working today, because I have the day off.)
• Heute arbeite ich nicht, weil ich frei habe. (I’m not working today, because I have the day off.)

Top 20 most useful German transition words for learners

To help you master transition words, we’ve curated a list of the top 20 most useful German transition words. Practice these often and you’ll be better able to add information, explain causes, show consequences, express contrasts, indicate sequences and summarize ideas clearly.

Want to take the next step and practice German transition words with feedback from a native-level teacher? Lingoda’s B1 German course is a great place to start.

Transition word	English meaning	Example sentence	Common use
und	and	Ich mag Pizza und Pasta.	Connects words
aber	but	Ich möchte arbeiten, aber ich bin krank.	Shows contrast; everyday speech
denn	because	Ich bleibe zuhause, denn es regnet.	Introduces a reason; formal
weil	because	Ich bleibe zuhause, weil es regnet.	Introduces a reason; everyday speech
deshalb	therefore/that’s why	Ich habe viel gelernt, deshalb habe ich die Prüfung bestanden.	Logical consequence
deswegen	therefore/that’s why	Es ist kalt, deswegen ziehe ich einen Mantel an.	Logical consequence
zudem	in addition	Er arbeitet Vollzeit, zudem lernt er eine Sprache.	Adds extra information; formal
darüber hinaus	furthermore/moreover	Das Auto ist schnell, darüber hinaus sehr sparsam.	Adds extra information; formal
trotzdem	nevertheless	Es regnet, trotzdem gehen wir spazieren.	Shows concession
doch	however/still	Ich war müde, doch ich habe weitergearbeitet.	Shows contrast
schließlich	finally/in the end	Schließlich haben wir uns anders entschieden.	Concludes a story or argument
zum Schluss	in conclusion	Zum Schluss danke ich allen Teilnehmern.	Concludes speeches and essays
zuerst	first/at first	Zuerst frühstücke ich, dann gehe ich zur Arbeit.	Sequence of events
dann	then	Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben, dann spiele ich.	Sequence of events
danach	after that	Wir essen, danach schauen wir einen Film.	Sequence of events
außerdem	besides/also	Das Hotel ist teuer, außerdem sind die Zimmer sehr klein.	Adds extra information; neutral tone
im Großen und Ganzen	overall/all in all	Im Großen und Ganzen war der Urlaub sehr schön.	Summarizes or concludes
einerseits… andererseits	on one hand… on the other hand	Einerseits möchte ich reisen, andererseits muss ich arbeiten.	Shows balanced contrast
dennoch	nonetheless/even so	Er hat viel gelernt, dennoch hat er die Prüfung nicht bestanden.	Shows contrast; formal
jedoch	however/but	Sie hat dich zum Geburtstag eingeladen, jedoch bist du nicht gegangen.	Shows contrast; formal

Formal vs. informal transition words: When and where to use them

We’ve already seen examples of German transition words that share similar meanings but differ in their level of formality. Knowing when and where to use a particular transition word is important for clear and appropriate communication. For example, the words you choose in a text message will differ from those suitable for a job application or professional email.

Let’s look at some examples:

Informal/neutral	Formal
außerdem	darüber hinaus
aber	jedoch
trotzdem	dennoch

What are transition words in German?

Transition words in German are expressions that connect ideas and sentences. With them, you can explain causes, show consequences, express contrasts, indicate sequences and summarize thoughts.

What is the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions?

Coordinating conjunctions link two main clauses and keep the standard word order, with the verb in the second position. Subordinating conjunctions introduce a dependent clause, moving the verb to the end of the sentence or clause.

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Put your German transition words into practice

German transition words are key to mastering the language and sounding natural. Need to explain why you were late for work or tell a friend about your morning routine? Transition words help you connect your ideas in these situations and more. They aren’t too difficult to learn, but it’s important to keep in mind basic sentence structure and the appropriate level of formality.If you’d like to learn German online and practice transition words in real-life contexts, Lingoda can help. With small class sizes, you’ll enjoy a more interactive and effective learning experience.

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