Main clauses (Hauptsatz) and subordinate clauses (Nebensatz) are two different types of clauses (Teilsätze) that can be connected to form complex sentences (komplexe Sätze). A good understanding of main and subordinate clauses will help you write more interesting texts, express more complex ideas, and to comprehend more complicated texts. But what exactly are main and subordinate clauses and what’s the difference?
What Is a Main Clause?
A main clause is a grammatically complete sentence and can therefore stand on its own. Let’s consider the following example:
Die Kinder spielen draußen Fußball, obwohl es regnet.
(The children are playing soccer outside even though it’s raining.)
The sentence consists of two clauses. They are:
- Die Kinder spielen draußen Fußball
(The children are playing soccer outside) - obwohl es regnet
(even though it’s raining)
In this sentence, the first part before the comma is the main clause. Even without the part after the comma, the sentence would be complete and grammatically correct.
What Is a Subordinate Clause?
The part after the comma in the above sentence is a subordinate clause introduced with the conjunction obwohl (even though). A subordinate clause is always dependent on another clause. In contrast to main clauses, subordinate clauses can not stand on their own.
In the above sentence, the subordinate clause (obwohl es regnet) is dependent on the main clause (Die Kinder spielen draußen Fußball). This hierarchical relationship can be represented visually:
The main clause is labeled HS for Hauptsatz. The subordinate clause that is directly dependent on the main clause, is marked NS1, where NS stands for Nebensatz.
A Subordinate Clause Nested within a Subordinate Clause
A subordinate clause can also be subordinated to another subordinate clause. Here is an example:
Ich liebe dich, weil ich es mag, wie du lachst.
(I love you because I like it how you laugh.)
A visual representation of the sentence would look like this:
The first subordinate clause (weil ich es mag) explains why “I love you.” So, it indicates the reason for the main clause (Ich liebe dich). As a subordinate clause directly subordinate to the main clause, we label it NS1.
The second subordinate clause (wie du lachst), on the other hand, does not refer to the verb liebe (love), but to the verb mag (like): It explains what “I like.” Therefore, the second subordinate clause is not subordinate to the main clause, but to the first subordinate clause. We label it NS2.
The number 2 indicates that the subordinate clause NS2 is below the subordinate clause NS1 in the hierarchy. The top level in the hierarchy is the main clause (HS).
A Subordinate Clause Nested within a Subordinate Clause nested within a Subordinate Clause
The number of levels in the hierarchy of subordinate clauses is unlimited. Let’s consider the following example:
Ich weiß, dass du, obwohl du müde bist, weil du nicht viel geschlafen hast, gewinnen wirst.
(I know that even though you are tired because you haven’t slept much you will win.)
A visual representation of the sentence would look like this:
The sentence consists of four clauses:
- Ich weiß
(I know) - dass du gewinnen wirst
(that you will win) - obwohl du müde bist
(even though you are tired) - weil du nicht viel geschlafen hast
(because you haven’t slept much)
The top level is the main clause Ich weiß. Directly under the main clause is the subordinate clause dass du gewinnen wirst wirst, which is marked NS1. It refers to the verb weiß (know) and is therefore dependent on the main clause.
The subordinate clause obwohl du müde bist, in turn, is dependent on NS1. It expresses a circumstance that would suggest the opposite of NS1: If “you are tired,” the logical consequence would be that you will not win. The subordinate clause is labeled with NS2, meaning it comes under NS1 in the hierarchy.
The subordinate clause weil du nicht viel geschlafen hast indicates the reason why “you are tired,” so it’s dependent on NS2. In the hierarchy, it comes below NS2 and is therefore marked with NS3.
Position of the Subordinate Clause
There are three possible positions for subordinate clauses: they can come either before or after the parent clause, but they can also interrupt it.
For example, in the above sentence, NS1 (dass du eine gute Note auf den Test schreiben wirst) is interrupted by NS2 (obwohl du müde bist). On the other hand, NS3 (weil du müde bist), which is subordinate to NS2, is placed after NS2. Similarly, NS1, which is subordinate to the main clause (Ich weiß), is placed after the main clause.
In many cases, the subordinate clause can appear before or after the parent clause without any changes in meaning. Here are two example sentences:
- Die Kinder spielen draußen Fußball, obwohl das Wetter nicht schön ist.
(The children are playing soccer outside even though the weather is not good.) - Obwohl das Wetter nicht schön ist, spielen die Kinder draußen Fußball.
(Even though the weather is not good, the children are playing soccer outside.)
Both sentences are grammatically correct and have the same meaning. It is often a question of personal preference or emphasis whether you place the subordinate clause before or after the main clause.
In German, the subordinate clause is always separated from the parent clause by a comma. In the above example sentence (Ich weiß, dass du…), the boundaries between the individual clauses are therefore clearly visible. This way, even complex sentences with lots of subordinate clauses remain clear and organized.
Verb Position in Main Clauses
In every main clause and subordinate clause there is exactly one verb with a personal ending (Personalendung), meaning the verb is in agreement with the subject. (Nonfinite clauses are an exception – we’ll cover them in another article.) A verb with a personal ending is also called finite verb (finites Verb).
Apart from a few exceptions, in main clauses the finite verb is always in second position. Here are two example sentences:
- Ich gehe jetzt nach Hause.
(I go home now.) - Jetzt gehe ich nach Hause.
(Now I go home.)
In the first sentence, the subject ich (I) appears at the beginning of the sentence. However, if the first element of the sentence is not a subject, like in the second sentence, then the subject is placed after the finite verb.
Apart from the finite verb, a sentence may contain additional verbs. However, they will be in a nonfinite form (infinite Form), for example an infinitive or a participle. While the finite verb always takes the second position in the main clause, nonfinite verbs are put to the end.
Here are two example sentences with a finite verb (bin, a personal form of sein) and a nonfinite verb (geblieben, the past participle of bleiben):
- Ich bin gestern zu Hause geblieben.
(I stayed at home yesterday.) - Gestern bin ich zu Hause geblieben.
(Yesterday I stayed at home.)
While the finite verb bin (literally am) is always in second position regardless of the subject, the nonfinite verb geblieben (stayed) is always at the end of the sentence.
Verb Position in Subordinate Clauses
In subordinate clauses, on the other hand, the finite verb always comes last. Possible nonfinite verbs, if any, are placed immediately before the finite verb, meaning they’re second to last. Here’s an example:
Am Telefon hat er mich gefragt, ob ich zur Party kommen werde.
(He asked me on the phone if I was coming to the party.)
This complex sentence consists of a main clause (Am Telefon hat er mich gefragt) and a subordinate clause (ob ich zur Party kommen werde). In the main clause, the finite verb hat (literally has) appears in second position, the nonfinite verb gefragt (asked) in the last position. In the subordinate clause, on the other hand, the finite verb werde (will) is in the last position, the nonfinite verb kommen (come) in the second to last position.
If the subordinate clause is placed in front of the main clause, then the entire subordinate clause takes the first position in the main clause. You can see this in the following example:
Obwohl das Wetter nicht schön ist, spielen die Kinder draußen Fußball.
(Even though the weather isn’t good, the children are playing soccer outside.)
The subordinate clause (Obwohl das Wetter nicht schön ist) takes the first position of the main clause. The finite verb spielen (play) is in second position of the main clause. Since the first position is occupied by the subordinate clause, the finite verb of the main clause comes immediately after the subordinate clause.
Conclusion
This article has shown two fundamental differences between main clauses and subordinate clauses:
- Main clauses are grammatically complete and can, therefore, stand on their own. Subordinate clauses, on the other hand, are always dependent on a parent clause and can not stand on their own. The parent clause can either be a main clause or another subordinate clause.
- In main clauses, the finite verb always comes in second position, possible nonfinite verbs are always put at the end. In subordinate clauses, on the other hand, the finite verb is put at the end, and possible nonfinite verbs come immediately before that.
This article serves as a general introduction to the concepts of main and subordinate clauses. In our next article, we’ll take a look at the different types of subordinate clauses. Subscribe to our newsletter so you won’t miss a topic. See you next time!