A2.2 · 9 of 36

wenn & deshalb

Lesson · 4 rules · about 5 min

Talk about plans and reasons: 'Wenn ich Zeit habe, komme ich' and 'Es regnet, deshalb bleibe ich zu Hause'.

  1. 1wenn: verb at the end; wenn-clause first → verbs meet at the comma
  2. 2deshalb: position 1, verb second
  3. 3weil ↔ deshalb: same fact, two directions
  4. 4wenn is when-repeatedly and if — not the single past 'when'
Why this matters

Two more ways to link ideas, one from each family. wenn (when / if / whenever) is a subordinator like weil and dass: it sends the verb to the end — Wenn es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause. And when the wenn-clause comes first, it fills position 1 of the whole sentence, so the main clause starts with its verb: Wenn es regnet, | bleiben | wir … — two verbs side by side across the comma. deshalb (therefore, so) is an adverb like dann: it takes position 1 and the verb follows it — Es regnet, deshalb bleiben wir zu Hause. weil gives the cause, deshalb gives the result; the same fact can be said either way. Both turn up in almost every conversation about plans and habits.

Question 1 of 10 · eins
eins1zwei2drei3vier4fünf5sechs6sieben7acht8neun9zehn10

wenn (Verb am Ende) / deshalb (Verb an 2)

tap the words below, bleiben wir zu Hause.

When it rains, we stay at home.