Table of Contents
Function of “dass” Clauses
In A2 German you start to connect ideas in more complex sentences. One of the most important tools for this is the conjunction “dass,” which introduces a subordinate clause. In English this is similar to “that” in sentences like “I think that he is nice.”
The main purpose of a “dass” clause is to report thoughts, opinions, information, or feelings. You combine a main clause, often with a verb such as “denken,” “glauben,” “meinen,” “finden,” “sagen,” “wissen,” and then a subordinate clause with “dass.”
Example in English:
“I think that the film is interesting.”
Example in German:
“Ich denke, dass der Film interessant ist.”
You can often omit “that” in English, but you cannot omit “dass” in German. So in German, “Ich denke, der Film ist interessant” is possible in spoken language, but the clear, standard A2 structure is with “dass.”
A “dass” clause is always a subordinate clause and it requires the conjugated verb at the end of the clause.
Word Order in “dass” Clauses
The most important new rule is the word order. In a normal main clause in German, the verb is in the second position. In a “dass” clause, the conjugated verb goes to the very end.
Compare:
“Er arbeitet in Berlin.”
“He works in Berlin.”
Now with “dass”:
“Ich weiß, dass er in Berlin arbeitet.”
“I know that he works in Berlin.”
Notice that “arbeitet” moves to the end of the subordinate clause. The subject and other elements stay in their usual order before the verb.
Another example:
Main clause: “Sie hat heute keine Zeit.”
“She has no time today.”
With “dass”:
“Er sagt, dass sie heute keine Zeit hat.”
“He says that she has no time today.”
Structure:
Main clause, “dass” + subject + other information + conjugated verb (at the end).
If there is a separable verb in the “dass” clause, it is not separated, and the full verb goes together at the end.
Main clause: “Er steht um 7 Uhr auf.”
“He gets up at 7 o’clock.”
With “dass”:
“Sie sagt, dass er um 7 Uhr aufsteht.”
“She says that he gets up at 7 o’clock.”
Punctuation and Commas with “dass”
In German, a comma separates the main clause from the “dass” clause. This comma is obligatory in written German.
“Er glaubt, dass das Wetter morgen besser wird.”
“He believes that the weather will be better tomorrow.”
You can put the “dass” clause after the main clause, or you can start with the “dass” clause. The comma and verb position do not change.
“Wir hoffen, dass du morgen kommst.”
“That-clause second.”
“Dass du morgen kommst, hoffen wir.”
“That-clause first.”
In both cases “kommst” is at the end of the “dass” clause. When the “dass” clause is first, the whole clause counts as position one, and the conjugated verb of the main clause (“hoffen”) comes directly after the comma.
Always separate the main clause and the “dass” clause with a comma, and always keep the conjugated verb at the end of the “dass” clause, independent of the order of the two clauses.
Verbs Commonly Used with “dass”
At A2 level you will often use “dass” after certain verbs of thinking, saying, feeling, or knowing. Here are some of the most frequent ones:
“denken” (to think)
“glauben” (to believe)
“meinen” (to mean, to think)
“finden” (to find, to think)
“sagen” (to say)
“wissen” (to know, a fact)
“hoffen” (to hope)
“fürchten” (to fear)
“vergessen” (to forget)
“sehen” (to see, realize)
“hören” (to hear)
“lieben” (to love)
“mögen” (to like)
“es freut mich” (I am pleased)
“es tut mir leid” (I am sorry)
With each of these you can build a “dass” sentence.
“Er glaubt, dass Deutsch schwer ist.”
“He believes that German is difficult.”
“Wir hoffen, dass du bald kommst.”
“We hope that you come soon.”
“Es freut mich, dass du hier bist.”
“I am happy that you are here.”
“Sie weiß, dass der Zug um 9 Uhr abfährt.”
“She knows that the train leaves at 9 o’clock.”
You can also combine “dass” with modal verbs inside the subordinate clause. The conjugated modal verb still goes to the end, after the infinitive.
“Er sagt, dass er heute nicht arbeiten muss.”
“He says that he does not have to work today.”
“Wir glauben, dass sie das Auto kaufen will.”
“We believe that she wants to buy the car.”
Information Order Inside the “dass” Clause
Inside a “dass” clause, the basic order of subject, time, manner, and place is similar to a main clause, only the conjugated verb moves to the end. Objects normally come before adverbs of place and time, but at A2 you mainly need to keep two things in mind: subject near the beginning, conjugated verb at the end.
For example:
“dass ich morgen in Berlin arbeite”
“that I work in Berlin tomorrow”
“dass wir heute Abend einen Film sehen”
“that we watch a film this evening”
“dass er seiner Mutter ein Geschenk gibt”
“that he gives his mother a present”
The extra elements such as time expressions “heute,” “morgen,” or “am Abend” sit between the subject and the final verb, just like in many main clauses.
In a “dass” clause, place time and object information before the final verb. The last position in the clause is reserved for the conjugated verb or for a verb cluster (for example modal verb plus infinitive).
“dass” with Opinions and Feelings
Using “dass” helps you sound more polite and more precise when you express your opinion or your feelings about something.
Typical patterns:
“Ich finde, dass …”
“I think that …”
“Ich glaube, dass …”
“I believe that …”
“Ich bin sicher, dass …”
“I am sure that …”
“Es tut mir leid, dass …”
“I am sorry that …”
“Es ist gut, dass …”
“It is good that …”
“Es ist wichtig, dass …”
“It is important that …”
Examples:
“Ich finde, dass der Kurs interessant ist.”
“I think that the course is interesting.”
“Ich glaube, dass wir genug Zeit haben.”
“I believe that we have enough time.”
“Es ist wichtig, dass du pünktlich bist.”
“It is important that you are on time.”
“Es tut mir leid, dass ich zu spät komme.”
“I am sorry that I am coming late.”
Using these patterns you can combine what you feel or think with a clear description of the situation.
“dass” in Spoken and Written German
In spoken German, especially in informal conversation, speakers often drop “dass” and use a simple main clause word order for the second part. For example, instead of “Ich denke, dass er kommt,” you often hear “Ich denke, er kommt.”
At A2 level, for clear and correct German, you should first master the full “dass” construction with the verb at the end. It is helpful for reading and writing, and it is always correct in formal or neutral situations, in emails, and in simple reports.
In writing, especially in emails and messages, another common pattern is to use “dass” after phrases that introduce information.
Examples:
“Bitte informieren Sie mich, dass das Paket angekommen ist.”
“Please inform me that the package has arrived.”
“Er bestätigt, dass er die E-Mail gelesen hat.”
“He confirms that he has read the email.”
Even when the style is formal, the basic rule is the same: “dass” introduces a subordinate clause, and the conjugated verb of that clause goes to the end.
In exams, in formal writing, and in exercises for A2, always use “dass” when you make a “that”-clause and always keep the subordinate clause verb at the end.
Vocabulary List
| German expression | English meaning |
|---|---|
| dass | that (subordinate conjunction) |
| denken | to think |
| glauben | to believe |
| meinen | to think, to mean |
| finden | to find, to think (opinion) |
| sagen | to say |
| wissen | to know (a fact) |
| hoffen | to hope |
| fürchten | to fear |
| vergessen | to forget |
| sehen | to see, to realize |
| hören | to hear |
| lieben | to love |
| mögen | to like |
| es freut mich | I am pleased, I am glad |
| es tut mir leid | I am sorry |
| wichtig | important |
| sicher | sure, certain |
| bestätigen | to confirm |
| informieren | to inform |