Result Clauses: so dass / sodass
Result Clauses: so dass / sodass
German has two closely related ways to say 'so that / with the result that' — a split construction with an intensified adjective, and a single conjunction for a plain consequence — and both send the verb to the end of the clause.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Verb-final subordinate clause, just like weil or dass
Es regnete so stark, dass wir zu Hause blieben. (It rained so hard that we stayed home.)
It rained so hard that we stayed home.
Whichever version you use, the result clause is a subordinate clause with the finite verb pushed to the very end (blieben). English 'so that' never moves the verb at all, so this is another place where English speakers have to consciously override normal SVO habits — the same discipline you already apply to weil- and dass-clauses applies here too.
so...dass splits around an intensified adjective or adverb; sodass stands alone
Sie war so müde, dass sie sofort einschlief. / Sie war sehr müde, sodass sie sofort einschlief.
She was so tired that she fell asleep immediately. / She was very tired, so she fell asleep immediately.
When you want to intensify a specific adjective or adverb ('so hard', 'so tired'), so sits directly in front of that word and dass introduces the result clause afterward — the two parts split around whatever you're intensifying. When there's nothing to intensify and you're simply stating a plain consequence, use the single conjunction sodass (or, in the older two-word spelling, so dass) with nothing in between. English blends both ideas into one 'so...that' pattern, so the first thing to check is whether there's an adjective or adverb worth splitting so away from.
Result clauses state an actual outcome — contrast with purpose clauses
Er sprach laut, sodass alle ihn hören konnten. (He spoke loudly, so that everyone could hear him — this is what actually happened.)
He spoke loudly, so that everyone could hear him.
A sodass-clause describes something that actually resulted from the main clause — a real, observed consequence. This is different from a purpose clause with damit (covered in the next lesson), which describes an intended goal rather than a guaranteed outcome. If you can replace your English 'so that' with 'and as a result,' you're dealing with a result clause and sodass is the right choice.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| sodass | zoh-DAHS | so that / with the result that |
| so dass | zoh dahs | so that (older spelling) |
| so laut, dass... | zoh lowt, dahs | so loud that... |
| so müde, dass... | zoh MEW-deh, dahs | so tired that... |
| mit dem Ergebnis, dass... | mit dame air-GAYP-nis, dahs | with the result that... |
| infolgedessen | in-FOL-geh-des-en | as a consequence |
| deshalb | des-HAHLP | therefore/for that reason |
| folglich | FOLK-likh | consequently |