Coordinating Conj.

ADUSO Connectors

Five short words link two complete sentences together without disturbing either one's word order. That's exactly what makes them "coordinating" instead of "subordinating."

The Rule That Matters

The verb always stays in position 2

Treat a coordinating conjunction like a comma with a word attached: it doesn't count as part of the clause that follows. Compare that to a subordinating conjunction like weil, which pushes the verb all the way to the end.

Coordinating: aber

…aber sie kommt heute.

Subordinating: weil

…weil sie heute kommt.

Same meaning, same verb: only the conjunction decides where it lands.

Forms

The Five ADUSO Words

ADUSO is a memory trick for the five coordinating conjunctions: Aber, Denn, Und, Sondern, Oder.

Word	Meaning	Function
und	and	joins or adds
aber	but	contrasts
denn	because	gives a reason
oder	or	offers an alternative
sondern	but rather	corrects a negative

In Practice

Joining Two Clauses

Each ADUSO word slots in between two complete sentences; both keep their normal word order.

Ich habe Hunger, und ich esse etwas.

Er ist müde, aber er geht ins Kino.

Kommst du mit, oder bleibst du hier?

Sie zieht um, denn sie beginnt ein Studium.

Ich trinke keinen Kaffee, sondern ich trinke Tee.

The Sticking Point

aber vs. sondern

Both mean roughly "but," and mixing them up is the single most common ADUSO mistake.

aber

Works anywhere: after a positive or a negative clause. General-purpose "but."

Ich mag Kaffee, aber ich trinke lieber Tee.

sondern

Only after a negated clause (nicht/kein), and it replaces the negated idea rather than just contrasting with it.

Ich trinke keinen Kaffee, sondern ich trinke Tee.

In Context

Spot It in Real Sentences

Das Wetter ist heute sehr schön und die Sonne scheint hell am Himmel.

The weather is very nice today and the sun shines brightly in the sky.

Dieser Kaffee ist sehr heiß, aber er mag das.

This coffee is very hot, but he likes that.

Er will Berlin oder vielleicht die Schweiz besuchen.

He wants to visit Berlin or maybe Switzerland.

Watch Out

The Trap: "denn" vs. "weil"

Both can translate as "because," but they don't conjugate the same way. denn is coordinating: the verb stays put. weil is subordinating: the verb jumps to the end. Er bleibt zu Hause, denn er ist müde and Er bleibt zu Hause, weil er müde ist mean the same thing, but only one keeps the verb in its usual spot.