Weil vs Denn vs Da: How to Say “Because” in German

All three words mean “because”, but they change word order differently. After weil and da, the conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause. After denn, the word order stays normal, with the verb in position 2. Weil is the everyday choice, da is for reasons the listener already knows, and denn is common in writing.

That is the whole difference in short. The rest of this post shows how each word works, where people make mistakes, and how deshalb and darum fit in when you want to say “that’s why” instead of “because”.

The quick comparison

Word	Type	Verb position	Can answer “Warum?” alone	Typical use
weil	subordinating conjunction	end of clause	yes	speech and writing, the default
da	subordinating conjunction	end of clause	no	known or obvious reason, often at the start, more formal
denn	coordinating conjunction	position 2 (normal)	no	writing, more formal speech
deshalb / darum / deswegen	adverb (“that’s why”)	verb in position 2, right after it	no	gives the result, not the reason

If you remember only one thing: weil = verb at the end, denn = verb in second place.

Weil: the verb goes to the end

Weil starts a subordinate clause (Nebensatz). The conjugated verb moves to the last position. If there are two verbs, the conjugated one comes last.

• Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Deutschland arbeiten möchte. (I’m learning German because I want to work in Germany.)
• Sie bleibt heute zu Hause, weil sie krank ist. (She’s staying at home today because she is ill.)
• Wir kommen später, weil der Zug Verspätung hat. (We’re coming later because the train is delayed.)
• Er war müde, weil er schlecht geschlafen hat. (He was tired because he slept badly.)
• Ich rufe dich an, weil ich eine Frage habe. (I’m calling you because I have a question.)

Separable verbs join together again at the end: …, weil der Kurs um acht Uhr anfängt. (because the course starts at eight.)

Starting a sentence with weil

You can put the weil clause first. Then the whole clause counts as position 1, and the main verb comes immediately after the comma. This gives the typical “verb, comma, verb” pattern:

• Weil es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause. (Because it’s raining, we’re staying at home.)
• Weil ich morgen früh arbeiten muss, gehe ich jetzt ins Bett. (Because I have to work early tomorrow, I’m going to bed now.)

Weil as a short answer

Weil is the only one of the three that can answer a warum question on its own. This is very common in conversation and fine in speaking exams:

• Warum lernst du Deutsch? — Weil ich als Pflegefachkraft in Österreich arbeiten will.
• Warum bist du so spät? — Weil mein Bus nicht gekommen ist.

Da: a reason the listener already knows

Da also starts a subordinate clause, so the verb goes to the end, exactly like weil. The difference is in meaning and style. Da presents the reason as known or obvious, and it sounds more formal. That is why it often stands at the beginning of the sentence, especially in emails and official texts:

• Da ich krank bin, kann ich heute leider nicht zur Arbeit kommen. (As I’m ill, I unfortunately can’t come to work today.)
• Da das Büro am Freitag geschlossen ist, schicken wir die Unterlagen am Montag. (As the office is closed on Friday, we’ll send the documents on Monday.)
• Da Sie neu im Team sind, zeige ich Ihnen zuerst die Station. (Since you’re new to the team, I’ll show you the ward first.)
• Da wir schon lange warten, möchten wir mit dem Schichtleiter sprechen. (Since we’ve been waiting a long time, we’d like to speak to the shift supervisor.)

Da is a good choice for formal emails: Da ich am 12. Mai einen Termin bei der Ausländerbehörde habe, bitte ich um einen freien Tag. It is less natural as a direct answer: Warum? — Da ich krank bin sounds odd. Use weil there.

Careful: da is also the adverb “there” (Ich bin da. = I’m here/there). The word order tells you which one it is. If the verb goes to the end, it’s the conjunction.

Denn: normal word order

Denn connects two main clauses, like und, aber and oder. It stands in position 0, so it does not take a place in the clause. The subject and verb follow in their usual order:

• Ich bleibe heute zu Hause, denn ich bin krank. (I’m staying at home today, because I’m ill.)
• Wir nehmen den Bus, denn das Auto ist kaputt. (We’re taking the bus, because the car is broken.)
• Sie lernt jeden Tag, denn im Juni hat sie die B1-Prüfung. (She studies every day, because she has the B1 exam in June.)
• Er spricht gut Deutsch, denn er hat fünf Jahre in Wien gelebt. (He speaks German well, because he lived in Vienna for five years.)

Note the last two examples: after denn the clause can start with something other than the subject (im Juni), and then the verb still comes second, followed by the subject. That is normal main-clause word order. If you need a refresher on position 2, see German word order rules.

Two limits of denn

1. The denn clause comes second. You explain something first, then give the reason. Denn ich bin krank, bleibe ich zu Hause is wrong.
2. Denn cannot answer a question alone. Warum? — Denn ich bin krank is wrong. Say Weil ich krank bin.

In writing, you can start a new sentence with Denn after a full stop for emphasis (Ich bleibe zu Hause. Denn ich bin wirklich krank.), but it still refers back to the previous sentence. For learners, the safer habit is to keep denn in the middle, after a comma.

Do not confuse this denn with the particle denn in questions (Was machst du denn?). That one has nothing to do with reasons.

Deshalb, darum, deswegen: “that’s why”

These words give the result, not the reason. They are adverbs, so they take position 1 themselves, and the verb comes right after them, followed by the subject:

• Ich bin krank, deshalb bleibe ich zu Hause. (I’m ill, that’s why I’m staying at home.)
• Der Zug hatte Verspätung, darum sind wir zu spät gekommen. (The train was late, so we arrived late.)
• Ich möchte in der Schweiz arbeiten, deswegen lerne ich Deutsch. (I want to work in Switzerland, that’s why I’m learning German.)

They can also stand in the middle of the clause: Ich bleibe deshalb zu Hause. The meaning is the same. Daher works too and sounds a bit more formal.

The classic mistake is deshalb ich bleibe. After deshalb, the verb must come before the subject.

Bonus: nämlich

Nämlich also gives a reason, but it never starts the sentence. It goes after the verb, in a second sentence: Ich komme heute nicht. Ich bin nämlich krank. (I’m not coming today. I’m ill, you see.) It sounds natural in speech and is a nice alternative to always saying weil.

Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:

Spoken German: “weil” with normal word order

In everyday spoken German you will hear sentences like:

• Ich komme heute nicht, weil – ich bin total müde.
• Wir gehen nicht raus, weil es regnet ja.

Here weil is followed by main-clause word order (verb in position 2). This is colloquial. It is widespread in speech, usually with a short pause after weil, and linguists treat it as a real feature of spoken German rather than a random error. But it is not standard written German. In exams, emails and anything written, put the verb at the end after weil. Examiners will count weil ich bin krank as a word-order mistake.

As a learner, you can recognise this pattern when you hear it, but there is no need to copy it. Correct weil + verb at the end is never wrong.

Commas: always before weil, da and denn

• weil and da: a comma always separates the subordinate clause from the main clause, whether it comes first or second. Ich lerne, weil … / Weil …, lerne ich.
• denn: a comma comes before denn when it joins two clauses. Ich lerne, denn …
• deshalb / darum: when they start the second clause, put a comma (or a full stop) before them. Ich bin krank, deshalb …

20 examples at a glance

#	Sentence	Translation
1	Ich trinke Kaffee, weil ich müde bin.	I’m drinking coffee because I’m tired.
2	Ich trinke Kaffee, denn ich bin müde.	I’m drinking coffee, because I’m tired.
3	Ich bin müde, deshalb trinke ich Kaffee.	I’m tired, so I’m drinking coffee.
4	Weil der Arzt keine Zeit hat, warten wir.	Because the doctor has no time, we’re waiting.
5	Da die Praxis geschlossen ist, gehe ich in die Notaufnahme.	As the practice is closed, I’m going to the emergency department.
6	Sie lernt Deutsch, weil sie in Zürich studieren will.	She’s learning German because she wants to study in Zurich.
7	Er nimmt ein Taxi, denn es ist schon spät.	He’s taking a taxi, because it’s already late.
8	Wir haben kein Brot mehr, darum gehe ich zum Bäcker.	We have no bread left, so I’m going to the bakery.
9	Ich kann nicht kommen, weil ich arbeiten muss.	I can’t come because I have to work.
10	Da Sie Fragen haben, rufe ich Sie morgen an.	Since you have questions, I’ll call you tomorrow.
11	Der Patient schläft, denn er hat ein Schmerzmittel bekommen.	The patient is asleep, because he has been given a painkiller.
12	Ich spreche langsam, weil ich noch nervös bin.	I’m speaking slowly because I’m still nervous.
13	Es regnet, deswegen nehme ich einen Schirm mit.	It’s raining, that’s why I’m taking an umbrella.
14	Weil ich umgezogen bin, brauche ich eine neue Anmeldung.	Because I’ve moved, I need a new registration.
15	Wir bleiben länger, denn das Wetter ist schön.	We’re staying longer, because the weather is nice.
16	Da der Termin abgesagt wurde, habe ich frei.	As the appointment was cancelled, I’m free.
17	Ich habe angerufen, weil ich einen Termin brauche.	I called because I need an appointment.
18	Sie war nicht da, denn sie hatte Urlaub.	She wasn’t there, because she was on holiday.
19	Mein Deutsch ist besser geworden, weil ich jeden Tag spreche.	My German has improved because I speak every day.
20	Ich übe viel, deshalb habe ich keine Angst vor der Prüfung.	I practise a lot, so I’m not afraid of the exam.

Where you need this in exams

Reasons are everywhere in speaking tasks: Warum lernen Sie Deutsch? Warum möchten Sie in Deutschland arbeiten? Was ist besser, Stadt oder Land, und warum? In the B1 exams, giving reasons with correct word order is part of what the examiners listen for. Using weil, denn and deshalb correctly in the same answer shows range. For goals (“in order to”), you need a different structure, covered in um zu vs damit, and for the oral exam itself, see the Goethe B1 speaking exam guide.

Knowing the rule on paper and producing it while speaking are two different skills. In SipLingo you answer questions out loud in real scenarios, and if you say weil ich bin krank, you get the correction immediately, explained in your own language with the correct sentence. Practise giving reasons out loud.

Mini-exercise

Join the two sentences using the word in brackets. Watch the verb.

1. Ich gehe früh ins Bett. Ich bin müde. (weil)
2. Ich gehe früh ins Bett. Ich bin müde. (denn)
3. Ich bin müde. Ich gehe früh ins Bett. (deshalb)
4. Ich habe am Montag frei. Ich kann dir helfen. (da, at the start)
5. Sie lernt jeden Abend. Sie möchte die Prüfung bestehen. (weil)
6. Wir haben den Zug verpasst. Wir kommen später. (darum)

Answers

1. Ich gehe früh ins Bett, weil ich müde bin.
2. Ich gehe früh ins Bett, denn ich bin müde.
3. Ich bin müde, deshalb gehe ich früh ins Bett.
4. Da ich am Montag frei habe, kann ich dir helfen.
5. Sie lernt jeden Abend, weil sie die Prüfung bestehen möchte.
6. Wir haben den Zug verpasst, darum kommen wir später.

Official sources

For the official details and the latest updates, see:

• Duden: Duden for learners: conjunctions – Coordinating vs subordinating conjunctions (aber, denn, weil, obwohl)
• IDS Mannheim (grammis): grammis: verb position after weil and obwohl – Verb-final vs spoken verb-second after weil, obwohl, wobei

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between weil and denn?
Both mean “because”. Weil starts a subordinate clause and sends the verb to the end; denn joins two main clauses and keeps the verb in position 2. Weil is more common in speech and can answer a question alone.

Does weil send the verb to the end?
Yes. In standard German the conjugated verb goes to the end of the weil clause: …, weil ich krank bin. In casual speech you hear weil with normal word order, but that is colloquial and counts as a mistake in exams.

Can you start a sentence with weil?
Yes. Weil es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause. The main verb then comes directly after the comma. You can also answer a warum question with a weil clause alone.

When do you use da instead of weil?
Use da when the reason is already known or obvious, mostly at the start of the sentence and in formal writing: Da ich krank bin, kann ich nicht kommen. In everyday speech weil is more common.

Is “weil” followed by a comma?
The comma comes before weil, not after it: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin. If the weil clause comes first, the comma goes at the end of that clause, before the main verb.

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