CLASS 7 · LEARNING KNOWLEDGE

Types of subordinate clauses and complex sentences – basics

How it works

A subordinate clause is a clause that is grammatically dependent on a superordinate clause (main clause or another subordinate clause). Subordinate clauses are often recognized by introductory words such as conjunctions (e.g. ‹weil›, ‹obwohl›), relative pronouns (e.g. ‹der›, ‹die›, ‹das›) or question words. There are various types of subordinate clauses, including conjunctional clauses, relative clauses and indirect interrogative clauses. A complex sentence consists of at least one main clause and at least one subordinate clause. The placement and punctuation of subordinate clauses follow fixed rules.

Note
Subordinate clauses are grammatically dependent, are introduced by certain introductory words and can be distinguished according to their function and introduction. A complex sentence contains at least one main clause and one subordinate clause.

An example

What type of subordinate clause is present in the following sentence? – ‹Ich weiß, dass du kommst.›

This is a conjunctional clause, more precisely a ‹dass› clause, since the subordinate clause is introduced by the conjunction ‹dass›.

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Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: German. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.