das vs. dass

dass vs. das: the basics

Let’s start with the basics:

• dass = that

Example:

Peter sieht, dass sein Sparschwein leer ist.Peter can see that his piggy bank is empty.

• das as an article = the

Example:

Das Sparschwein ist sehr schwer.The piggy bank is very heavy.

• das as a demonstrative pronoun = this (one)/that (one)

Example:

Das ist Peters Sparschwein.This is Peter’s piggy bank.

• das as a relative pronoun = which/(that)

Example:

Das Geld, das Peter von seinen Eltern bekommt, reicht nie bis zum Ende des Monats.The money, which Peter gets from his parents, never lasts until the end of the month.

Read on to learn about each word in detail, as well as some tips to help you choose between the two.

When to use dass

The word dass is a conjunction and it always means that.

Dass introduces a subordinate clause, which means that the conjugated verb comes at the end (i.e. final position).

Example:

Peter sieht, dass sein Sparschwein leer ist.Peter can see that his piggy bank is empty.

not: Peter sieht, dass sein Sparschwein ist leer.

Dass usually follows a main clause that contains a verb like sagen, wissen, sehen, fühlen, glauben …

Example:

Peter glaubt, dass sein Geld nicht bis zum Ende des Monats reicht.Peter thinks that his money won’t last until the end of the month.

Sometimes dass follows a noun such as die Tatsache, die Bedingung …

Examples:

Die Tatsache, dass das Geld verschwindet, gibt Peter zu denken.The fact that the money disappears makes Peter wonder.

Die Eltern geben Peter etwas Geld unter der Bedingung, dass er sparsamer lebt.Peter’s parents give him some money on the condition that he lives more frugally.

Note: in German we can place the subordinate clause (i.e. the dass-clause) before the main clause. This is usually done for emphasis or to vary sentence structure in written language.

Example:

Dass sein Sparschwein leer ist, hat Peter schon bemerkt.Peter has already noticed that his piggy bank is empty.

We also use dass in a variety of compound conjunctions such as außer dass, statt dass … Jump ahead to the section on compound conjunctions with dass to learn more, or keep reading to learn about das.

When to use das

We use das as an article, a demonstrative pronoun or a relative pronoun.

Das as an article

As a definite article, das means the. It is used before neuter nouns (although words like adjectives can be written in between).

Example:

Das (dicke) Sparschwein ist sehr schwer.The (fat) piggy bank is very heavy.

As an article, das can be replaced by dieses or jenes (= this/that)

Example:

Das Sparschwein ist sehr schwer.

→ Dieses Sparschwein ist sehr schwer.The piggy bank is very heavy
→ This piggy bank is very heavy.

Das as a demonstrative pronoun

As a demonstrative pronoun das means this (one)/that (one). It can refer to a neuter noun or an entire phrase and allows us to specify what exactly we’re referring to.

Examples:

Das ist Peters Sparschwein.That’s Peter’s piggy bank.

das refers to a neuter noun

Das Geld reicht nie bis zum Ende des Monats. Das kann sich Peter einfach nicht erklären.The money never lasts until the end of the month. Peter just can’t explain that.

das refers to the previous sentence

When das is used as a demonstrative pronoun, we can replace it with dies (= this).

Example:

Das ist Peters Sparschwein.

→ Dies ist Peters Sparschwein.This is Peters piggy bank.

Das as a relative pronoun

As a relative pronoun, das means which.

It introduces a relative clause that gives additional information about a previously-mentioned neuter noun.

Example:

Das Geld, das Peter von seinen Eltern bekommt, reicht nie bis zum Ende des Monats.The money, which Peter gets from his parents, never lasts until the end of the month.

In this context, das can also be translated with that.

Example:

Das Geld, das Peter von seinen Eltern bekommt, reicht nie bis zum Ende des Monats.

→ option 1: The money, which Peter gets from his parents, …

→ option 2: The money that Peter gets from his parents …

das vs. dass: the which-test

We’ve established that dass always means that and das sometimes means that:

Example:

Peter weiß, dass er sparen muss. Das Geld, das er von seinen Eltern bekommt, reicht nie bis zum Ende des Monats.Peter knows that he needs to save. The money that he gets from his parents never lasts until the end of the month.

So how do we know when to use which one?

Enter the which-test. This is where we substitute that for which, or das(s) for welches in German, and see if the sentence still works.

If you replace that with which and the sentence still makes sense, then you need das.

Example:

Das Geld, das Peter von seinen Eltern bekommt, reicht nie bis zum Ende des Monats.The money that Peter gets from his parents never lasts until the end of the month.

The money that Peter gets from his parents …

= Das Geld, welches Peter bekommt, reicht nie bis zum Ende des Monats.The money, which Peter gets from his parents, never lasts until the end of the month.

The money, which Peter gets from his parents, …

If you can’t replace that (das/dass) with which (welches), then you need dass.

Example:

Peter weiß, dass sein Sparschwein leer ist.Peter knows that his piggy bank is empty.

Peter knows that …

≠ Peter weiß, welches sein Sparschwein leer ist.

Peter knows which his piggy bank is empty.

dass vs. das: extra tips

The which-test is handy, but may not work in every case. Here are two more key differences between dass and das that can help you choose the correct one:

• main clause = das
  If you have a main clause (i.e. the verb is in 2nd position), you need das. This is because dass can only be used in subordinate clauses (i.e. the verb is at the end).

Example:

Er muss sparen, das weiß er.He has to save, he knows that. (main clause, verb in 2nd position = das)

not: Er muss sparen, dass weiß er.

• no conjugated verb = das
  If there is no conjugated verb in your clause, you need das. This is because dass always takes a conjugated verb.

Example:

Er hat sich vorgenommen, das Geld zu sparen.He’s decided to save the money. (infinitive verb with zu (i.e. not conjugated) = das)

not: Er hat sich vorgenommen, dass Geld zu sparen.

Compound conjunctions with dass

We can combine dass with other words give it a new meaning.

als dass

• Meaning 1: deshalb nicht (= too … (in order) to/for)
  Signal: zu + adjective in the main clause; subjunctive in the subordinate clause
  

  Example:

  Sparen erfordert zu viel Disziplin, als dass es mir gelingen könnte.Saving requires too much discipline for me to succeed.

• Meaning 2: statt dass (= instead of/rather than)
  Signal: lieber in the main clause
  

  Example:

  Er gibt das Geld lieber aus, als dass er spart.He prefers spending the money instead of saving it.

außer dass

• Meaning: nur/lediglich/bloß (= apart from)
  

  Example:

  Er leistet sich nichts, außer dass er ab und zu mit seinen Freunden ausgeht.He doesn’t spend money on anything apart from occasionally going out with his friends.

kaum dass

• Meaning: sofort nachdem, sobald (= as soon as)
  

  Example:

  Das Geld ist weg, kaum dass er es bekommen hat.The money is gone as soon as he gets it.

ohne dass

• Meaning: und … nicht, obwohl/aber … nicht (= although/without +ing)
  

  Example:

  Das Geld ist weg, ohne dass er sich viel leistet.The money is gone although he doesn’t spend a lot of it.

sodass/so dass

• Meaning: deshalb (= so/that’s why)
  

  Example:

  Er braucht mehr Geld, sodass er sich einen Job suchen muss.He needs more money so he has to find a new job.

statt dass

• Meaning: statt + infinitive with zu (= instead of)
  Signal: lieber in the main clause
  

  Example:

  Er gibt das Geld lieber aus, statt dass er spart.He spends the money instead of saving it.

vorausgesetzt dass

• Meaning: wenn (= if/provided that)
  

  Example:

  Er geht heute mit Freunden aus, vorausgesetzt dass er noch etwas Geld übrig hat.He’ll go out with his friends today, provided that he still has some money left over.