weil and dass: the clause where the verb goes to the end
CEFR A2 · part 2
edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
in, auf, an…: the nine that take two cases depending on wo or wohinChoosing the case with a single question: if the sentence answers wohin —where to, there…The adjective in front of the noun: when -e and when -enGiving the adjective an ending when it sits in front of the noun, with the short rule…war, hatte, konnte: the past tense people do say out loudUsing in the past the eight verbs a German never puts into the Perfekt when speaking…The imperative and German's three «you»: du, ihr, SieGiving an instruction to the three people German lets you address, and knowing which is…Comparing in German: -er, als, and am -stenComparing two things and pointing out the top one, with German's three pieces: the -er…mich or mir, dich or dir: pronouns in the accusative and dativeReplacing anything already mentioned with a pronoun, in both cases, and placing it…The rule, in three lines
After weil, dass, wenn, ob and obwohl the conjugated verb goes TO THE END of its clause. Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin: bin, the verb, closes the clause instead of sitting in second position. It is German's most characteristic feature, and none of this site's four languages has it. With two verbs, the conjugated one comes last of all: weil ich nicht kommen kann.
The usual slip. Leaving the verb where it always was after weil: weil ich bin krank. It sounds fine while you say it and it is what comes out by itself, because «because I am ill» moves nothing in your language. And there is a trap: denn means the same as weil and does NOT send the verb to the end. Worth knowing it exists and worth not hiding behind it, or the real German never gets learnt.
Why it catches you out. English word order is fixed after «because», and it also drops «that» all the time —«I think he is ill»—. German never drops dass, and once you keep it the verb has to move. What does help: English already moves verbs around in questions, so the idea that word order carries grammar is not new to you.