Expressing temporal sequence

Indicating that an action occurs immediately after a specific condition is met

An action begins as soon as a precondition is fulfilled, e.g., as soon as it rains, we take the umbrella; as soon as you're done, we'll call

Everyday communication, instructions, agreements, narrative descriptions

Sobald

Sobald

After 'Sobald' comes a subordinate clause with the verb at the end, e.g., a condition or time point

• es regnet
• du fertig bist
• wir ankommen
• die Sonne scheint
• er kommt

• sobald wie (colloquial
• regional)
• sobald als (archaic
• rare)

Forgetting the verb at the end of the subordinate clause (e.g., *Sobald es regnet wir nehmen den Schirm* instead of *Sobald es regnet, nehmen wir den Schirm*); incorrect word order after 'Sobald'

wenn, als, nachdem, während, bevor

Learners may place the verb before the subject in the subordinate clause or omit the required comma after the clause; English speakers often confuse 'as soon as' with 'when', leading to timing errors.

• sobald
• sobald wie
• in dem Moment
• in dem
• wenn

Emphasizes the immediacy of the following action compared to 'wenn' or 'nachdem'. Less formal than 'sodass' in written texts.

Signals a direct temporal or causal link between two actions or states, creating expectation or logical flow in discourse.

immediately after condition

Nach 'Sobald' folgt immer ein Nebensatz mit dem Verb am Ende; das Verb steht am Ende des Nebensatzes und ein Komma trennt den Nebensatz vom Hauptsatz.

Sobald wie, in dem Moment, in dem