weil
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
German [edit]
Pronunciation [edit]
Conjunction [edit]
weil
- because
- Ich kann nicht kommen, weil ich krank bin.
- I can't come because I'm sick.
Usages notes [edit]
In the standard language, weil is always a subordinating conjunction, i.e. the following clause is a subordinate clause and has the respective word order (cf. example above). In the beginning of a sentence, weil is preferably replaced by da: Da ich krank bin, kann ich nicht kommen.
In colloquial German, all such restrictions do not apply. Weil can thus be subordinating or coordinating. In the latter case, it replaced standard denn: Ich kann nicht kommen, weil ich bin krank. The conjunctions denn and da are both rarely used in colloquial German.
