What is the difference between das and dass

Available anytime, anywhere, on any device. I am Sten, both Dutch and German. For many years, I've written for the German and the Dutch blogs with a passion for everything related to language and culture. It's fascinating to reflect on my own culture, and in the process allow our readers to learn more about it!

Besides blogging, I am a German-Dutch-English translator, animator and filmmaker. In the Grimm text, it is interesting to see another spelling change that was made even before the reform in Was there another, earlier official spelling reform to make those changes? German Language Blog. Thank you! Please check your inbox for your confirmation email. You must click the link in the email to verify your request.

Der Artikel the article Made by author. Made by author. Keep learning German with us! Try it Free Find it at your Library. In this episode: A fun look at the structural difference between "das" and "dass" and a quick, easy hack on how to know when to use which. Hordes of interns have investigated around the clock without pay , our scientists have conducted expensive series of experiments, our philosophers have been pondering like crazy.

Heck, we even brought in some linguists to help… with the catering. And thanks to the hard work and the zeal of everyone involved, we managed to find the answer to one of the most confusing questions about German language:. What is the difference between das and dass? The answer is so simple and beautiful that any further introduction would insult it. So are you ready? Here it is…. So goal oriented. No more time for some fun in , I guess. Well fine then. The difference between the two das s -s is a written difference only.

But still, it is important to write it correctly because the functions of the two words are entirely different. And if you mix up the two, the readers has to make a mental U-turn at full reading speed as soon as it becomes clear that the das they just read was actually a dass. Seriously… many people have overstretched their Brainus Maximus muscle because of this.

Fortunately, the difference is not too hard to comprehend. The root of the problem is that both words translate to that. T hat is used for a lot of things, but they fall into two groups: article or pronoun on one side and conjunction on the other. When that is used as an article or pronoun , its function is to verbally point at stuff.

Note that all that s have a distinct functions here but in all three sentences, we can replace it with something the, this or which. The meaning might change slightly, but the general idea stays, and the sentence is still correct, because all these words have the same function.

And in German, it is the function of das with one s. Now, not every such that will translate to das. It can also be d er, dem, die, den , doh! Because dass has nothing to do with entities. It refers to nothing and stands for nothing. Its pure grammatical function. Dass is ranked 29 on the list of the most frequently used words in written German and in spoken it is likely to be even higher. Now, remember the words I mentioned to replace that?

The, this or which? The money that Peter receives from his parents never lasts until the end of the month. Example: Es ist das Hemd angekommen, das Peter sich bestellt hatte. The shirt that Peter ordered has arrived. Prepositions can also be written before das in relative clauses. Example: Peter braucht ein Einkommen, auf das er sich verlassen kann. Peter needs an income on which he can rely. Peter cannot explain that. Usage of »dass« We use dass to introduce dependent clauses.

Peter sees that the wallet is almost empty. That the wallet is almost empty, Peter had already noticed. The dependent clause with d ass can also refer to specific nouns in the main clause. Example: Die Tatsache , dass das Geld verschwindet, gibt Peter zu denken.