Saying exactly what the condition is
Five connectors that let you state a case, a proviso, an exception or a concession precisely.
wenn is the workhorse and it is never wrong. Everything in this lesson is about saying something more exactly than wenn can.
| Connector | Means | Register |
|---|---|---|
| wenn | if / whenever — the default | everywhere |
| falls | in case, if it happens that | neutral, slightly careful |
| sofern | provided that, as long as | formal, written |
| es sei denn | unless — the one exception | neutral, spoken too |
| vorausgesetzt, dass | on condition that | formal |
| zwar …, aber | admittedly …, but | everywhere |
Falls du Zeit hast, können wir uns treffen.
If you have time, we could meet.
you may well not — falls leaves that open
Sofern alles klappt, sind wir morgen fertig.
Provided everything works out, we will be finished tomorrow.
a formal proviso; in speech you would say wenn
Ich komme mit, es sei denn, ich muss arbeiten.
I will come along, unless I have to work.
one named exception to what was just said
Vorausgesetzt, dass das Wetter gut ist, fahren wir ans Meer.
Provided that the weather is good, we will drive to the sea.
Die Wohnung ist zwar klein, aber sehr günstig.
The flat is small, admittedly, but very cheap.
concede first, then say what you actually think
es sei denn is a main clause, not a subordinate one: the verb stays in position 2. Ich komme mit, es sei denn, ich muss arbeiten.
wenn or falls? Both work in most sentences. wenn is neutral and also means "whenever"; falls says only "in the case that", and never means "whenever". So Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause can mean every time it rains, while Falls es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause is about this one occasion that may not happen.
obwohl or zwar … aber? Same content, different shape. obwohl subordinates the concession and buries it; zwar … aber puts it up front and then overrides it, which is why it is the arguing form.
Obwohl die Wohnung klein ist, ist sie günstig.
Although the flat is small, it is cheap.
the concession is a subordinate clause — verb last
Die Wohnung ist zwar klein, aber sie ist günstig.
The flat is small, admittedly, but it is cheap.
two main clauses — zwar is just an adverb
Ich komme mit, es sei denn, ich arbeiten muss.Ich komme mit, es sei denn, ich muss arbeiten.
It looks like a subordinating conjunction and is not one. Nothing goes to the end after es sei denn.
Words from this topic
- fallsin case, if
- sofernprovided that, as long as
- es sei dennunless
- vorausgesetzt, dassprovided that, on condition that
- die die Voraussetzungthe prerequisite, the condition
- die die Ausnahmethe exception
- klappento work out
- günstigcheap, good value