German - Reasons

Ist das der Grund, warum ___?

Is that why ___?

Meaning: Is that why ___?

When to use: Use this to check if one situation explains another. After 'warum' follow a subordinate clause with the verb at the end.

Ich habe beschlossen, ___, wegen ___.

I decided to ___ because of ___.

Meaning: I decided to ___ because of ___.

When to use: Use this to state a decision and its cause. After 'beschlossen' a zu-infinitive clause is common; after 'wegen' standard written German uses genitive, spoken German often uses dative.

Tip: Beginners sometimes use the wrong form after 'beschlossen' (e.g. *'beschlossen, gehe' instead of 'beschlossen, zu gehen').

Ich habe nicht ___, weil ich ___ war.

I didn't ___ because I was ___.

Meaning: I didn’t ___ because I was ___.

When to use: Use this to explain a negative action with a personal condition. The first blank often needs a Partizip II after 'habe nicht'; for movement or state-change verbs you may need 'bin nicht ___'. The second blank is often an adjective.

Tip: Confusing 'habe nicht' and 'bin nicht' with verbs of movement (use 'bin nicht gegangen', not 'habe nicht gegangen').

Ein Grund ist, dass ___.

One reason is that ___.

Meaning: One reason is that ___.

When to use: Introduce a single reason among others. After 'dass' use a subordinate clause with the verb at the end.

Deshalb ___ ich.

That's why I ___.

Meaning: That’s why I ___.

When to use: Use 'Deshalb' to connect an explanation to a result. The conjugated verb comes immediately after 'deshalb': 'Deshalb gehe ich', 'Deshalb habe ich ...'.

Ich frage, weil ___.

The reason I ask is ___.

Meaning: The reason I ask is ___.

When to use: Use this short, natural phrase to explain why you are asking. After 'weil' use a subordinate clause with the verb at the end.

Wie kam es zu ___?

What led to ___?

Meaning: What led to ___?

When to use: Ask this when you want to know how a situation or event happened. After 'zu' use the dative (e.g. 'zu der Verzögerung', often contracted 'zur').

Lag es an ___?

Was it due to ___?

Meaning: Was it due to ___?

When to use: Use this to test whether a specific factor caused something. After 'an' use the dative: 'Lag es am Wetter?', 'Lag es an dir?'.

Tip: Beginners sometimes use accusative after 'an' here; remember this construction takes dative (e.g. 'am Wetter').

Ich dachte, ___, also habe ich ___.

I thought ___, so I ___.

Meaning: I thought ___, so I ___.

When to use: Use this to explain an action based on your belief. After 'dachte' you can include a full clause; after 'habe ich' usually Partizip II, or 'bin ich ___' for some verbs.

Das Problem war, dass ___.

The problem was that ___.

Meaning: The problem was that ___.

When to use: Use this to state the cause of a problem or the main issue. After 'dass' follow a subordinate clause with the verb at the end.

Es gibt ein paar Gründe.

There are a few reasons.

Meaning: There are a few reasons.

When to use: Use this to signal that you will list multiple reasons: 'Es gibt ein paar Gründe.' then continue with examples or 'Ein Grund ist ...'.

Ein weiterer Grund ist, dass ___.

Another reason is that ___.

Meaning: Another reason is that ___.

When to use: Add an additional reason. After 'dass' follow a subordinate clause with the verb at the end. Good for listing several causes.