B2 · Subordinate clauses
Result and means: sodass, indem, ohne dass
sodass, so … dass, indem, ohne dass, statt dass
Clauses that say what followed, how something was done and what did not happen — all with the verb at the end.
At a glance
- Remember
- How it was done: indem. What followed: sodass. What did not happen: ohne dass.
- Form
- Es regnete, sodass wir zu Hause blieben.consequence
- Signal words
- sodass
- so
- dass
- indem
- dadurch
- ohne
- statt
- anstatt
- Trap
- Wrong:Er war so müde, sodass er sofort einschlief.Right:Er war so müde, dass er sofort einschlief.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| consequence | Es regnete, sodass wir zu Hause blieben. |
| degree and consequence | Es war so kalt, dass wir zu Hause blieben. |
| means — by doing | indem man früher aufsteht |
| means, with emphasis | dadurch, dass er früher aufstand |
| without — another subject | ohne dass es jemand merkt |
| instead of — another subject | statt dass die Kinder helfen |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
sodass gives a consequence and follows the main clause.
Der Zug hatte Verspätung, sodass ich den Anschluss verpasste.The train was late, so I missed my connection.
so … dass puts the degree in the main clause and the consequence after it.
Er war so müde, dass er sofort einschlief.He was so tired that he fell asleep at once.
indem answers "how?" and corresponds to English "by …ing".
Sie lernt Vokabeln, indem sie Karten schreibt.She learns vocabulary by writing cards.
ohne dass and statt dass are needed when the subjects differ; with the same subject, use ohne … zu and statt … zu.
Er ging, ohne dass wir es bemerkten.He left without our noticing.
Example sentences
Es schneite die ganze Nacht, sodass die Straßen gesperrt wurden.It snowed all night, so the roads were closed.
Die Musik war so laut, dass wir nichts verstanden.The music was so loud that we could not understand a thing.
Man kann Geld sparen, indem man selbst kocht.You can save money by cooking for yourself.
Sie half uns, ohne dass wir sie darum gebeten hatten.She helped us without our having asked her.
Die Eltern machen alles, statt dass die Kinder mithelfen.The parents do everything instead of the children helping.
6 more example sentences
Ich habe den Wecker nicht gehört, sodass ich zu spät kam.I did not hear the alarm, so I was late.
Der Koffer war so schwer, dass ich ihn nicht tragen konnte.The suitcase was so heavy that I could not carry it.
Er beruhigte das Kind, indem er ihm etwas vorsang.He calmed the child by singing to it.
Dadurch, dass alle mitgeholfen haben, waren wir schnell fertig.Because everybody helped, we were finished quickly.
Die Tür ging auf, ohne dass jemand sie berührt hatte.The door opened without anybody having touched it.
Sie verließ den Raum, ohne ein Wort zu sagen.She left the room without saying a word.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Sodass is so and dass already fused into one word, so so müde, sodass says "so" twice. Decide where the weight goes: on the degree, with so in the main clause and plain dass after the comma, or on the result as a whole, with no so in the main clause and sodass after the comma: Er war müde, sodass er sofort einschlief.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Three kinds of subordinate clause round off what weil and damit began. A consequence is introduced by sodass, or by so in the main clause and dass at the start of the subordinate one: Es regnete stark, sodass das Spiel ausfiel. — Es regnete so stark, dass das Spiel ausfiel. The second version puts the weight on the degree: it rained so hard that the match was called off.
The means — how something is achieved — is introduced by indem: Man spart Energie, indem man die Heizung herunterdreht. English uses "by" with an -ing form here, and German has no such form, so the whole thing becomes a clause. Dadurch, dass says the same with more weight on the means: Dadurch, dass er früh losfuhr, kam er nicht in den Stau.
Two more describe what does not happen. Ohne dass means "without" with a subject of its own, and (an)statt dass means "instead of": Er nahm das Geld, ohne dass es jemand merkte. When both halves share a subject, the shorter infinitive is the normal choice: ohne etwas zu sagen, statt zu helfen. All of these clauses send the verb to the end and are separated by a comma.
A closer look
Two ways to say "by doing"
English "by doing" has two German equivalents, and they differ in register. Indem plus a clause is neutral and works in speech and writing. Durch plus a nominalised verb is shorter and more formal: durch regelmäßiges Üben, "by practising regularly". The second belongs to the nominal style of written German; the first is what most people say.
Dadurch, dass splits the idea in two and puts extra weight on the means. It is useful when the means is the point of the sentence: Dadurch, dass alle mitgeholfen haben, waren wir in einer Stunde fertig.
Exceptions and special cases (2)
-
the consequence is meant as a separate statement
a connecting adverb such as deshalb or also is used instead of sodass.
Der Zug hatte Verspätung. Deshalb habe ich den Anschluss verpasst.The train was late. That is why I missed my connection.
sodass ties the result into the same sentence; an adverb starts a new main clause with the verb in second position.
-
so stands before an adjective in the main clause
the comma comes after the adjective, not after so.
Es war so heiß, dass niemand schlafen konnte.It was so hot that nobody could sleep.
so belongs to the main clause and modifies the adjective; only dass opens the subordinate clause.
Worth knowing (2)
-
sodass or so dass
Both spellings are correct. The fused sodass is the more common one today, and the separate so dass remains allowed; what matters is that the comma comes before it, not between the two words.
-
indem is not "in which"
Historically indem is in dem fused, and the two separate words still exist as a preposition with a relative pronoun: das Haus, in dem ich wohne. The conjunction is written as one word and answers "how?"; the two words answer "where?" or "in which?".
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