You’re sitting in a Berlin cafe. The smell of roasted beans is thick, and the person in front of you just ordered a Kaffee und Kuchen. It sounds so simple. Und. That’s it, right? If you want to know how do you say and in German, the immediate, dictionary-standard answer is und.
But here is the thing.
Languages aren't just word-for-word swaps. If you just pepper your sentences with und every time you want to connect a thought, you’re going to sound like a textbook from 1994. Real German is stickier. It’s more nuanced. While und is your foundational brick, the way Germans actually link ideas involves a toolkit of conjunctions that change based on whether you're listing groceries or explaining why you’re late to work.
The basic mechanics of und
Most people start here. Und is a coordinating conjunction. In the world of German grammar—which, let’s be honest, can feel like a labyrinth designed by a frustrated architect—und is actually your best friend because it doesn’t mess with the word order. It’s "zero position."
Take a sentence like: Ich trinke Wein und ich esse Käse. (I drink wine and I eat cheese.)
Notice how the verb esse stays in its comfy second position? That’s the magic of und. It just sits there, minding its own business, connecting two independent clauses without forcing you to move your verbs to the end of the sentence like a subordinate clause would. It’s easy. It’s reliable. But if you use it three times in one sentence, you sound like a toddler.
"I went to the store and I bought bread and I saw a dog and it was raining."
Nobody wants to talk like that.
Beyond the basics: When und isn't enough
German speakers love precision. Honestly, they crave it. Sometimes "and" isn't just a bridge; it’s a sequence or a causal link. If you’re trying to say "and then," you’re looking for und dann.
Wir gingen ins Kino und dann nach Hause. But what if you're listing things that always go together? There’s a specific rhythmic quality to German pairings. Think of Messer und Gabel (knife and fork) or Pech und Schwefel (thick as thieves, literally "pitch and sulfur"). In these cases, und is the only choice, but the pros often drop the "d" sound in casual speech. You’ll hear a quick, nasal un' when people are talking fast in the streets of Hamburg or Munich.
💡 You might also like: Autumn Equinox: What Is It and Why Does Your Internal Clock Feel So Weird?
The comma trap
Here is a detail that trips up native English speakers constantly. In English, we have the Oxford Comma. We love it. We fight over it on social media. In German? The Oxford Comma doesn't exist. You do not put a comma before und when you are listing items.
Ich brauche Eier, Milch und Zucker. No comma after Milch. None. Adding one is a dead giveaway that you’re thinking in English. However—and there’s always a however—if you are joining two full sentences (two independent clauses) with und, a comma is actually optional but often avoided unless the sentence is incredibly long and confusing.
Semantic cousins of "and"
If you want to sound like a local, you need to expand your "and" vocabulary. Sometimes "and" implies "as well as" or "also."
- Sowie: This is a more formal version of and. You’ll see it in contracts or news reports. It’s great for adding a final item to a list that feels slightly separate from the others. Obst, Gemüse sowie Fleisch.
- Sowohl... als auch: This is the "both... and" construction. It’s sophisticated. Use it when you want to emphasize that two things are equally true. Ich spreche sowohl Deutsch als auch Englisch. 3. Zudem / Außerdem: These translate closer to "besides" or "in addition," but they function as "and" when you're building an argument.
Imagine you're complaining about a train delay—a favorite German pastime. You wouldn't just use und. You’d say the train was late, außerdem was the AC broken, und zu guter Letzt (and last but not least), you forgot your umbrella.
How the pros handle lists
There’s a concept in linguistics called "polysyndeton"—using multiple conjunctions for effect. Germans usually avoid this. They prefer the "Asyndeton" approach for speed. They'll stack adjectives or nouns with commas and only drop the und at the very end.
But wait.
What about when "and" is used to mean "and yet"?
Es ist sonnig und es regnet. (It is sunny and it is raining.)
In English, we might replace that with "but." In German, und can carry that weight, but often, a speaker will use und trotzdem to add that "yet" flavor. It gives the sentence more teeth.
Does regionality matter?
Kinda. In the deep south, in Bavaria or parts of Austria, the "and" might get swallowed by the dialect. But generally, und is the most stable word in the entire German language. It has survived centuries of linguistic shifting, from Old High German unti to the modern form we see today. It is one of the few words that a time traveler from the year 1000 would likely recognize immediately.
Common mistakes you're probably making
The biggest error isn't the word itself; it's the rhythm. English speakers tend to pause before "and."
"I want the cake... and the coffee."
German prosody usually hitches the und to the following word. It’s Ich möchte den Kuchen... und den Kaffee. The "und" starts the new breath, it doesn't end the old one.
Another one? Using und to start every sentence. While technically okay in casual speech, it makes your German feel "flat." Try starting with Darüber hinaus (Furthermore—though careful with that one, it's a bit stiff) or simply Dann (Then).
Actionable steps for better German flow
Stop relying on und as a crutch. It's the "filler" word of the German language for learners. If you want to actually improve your fluency and sound less like a translation app, try these specific shifts:
- Audit your lists: Next time you write an email, look at your lists. If you have three unds, replace one with sowie or sowie auch.
- The "Sowohl" Challenge: Force yourself to use sowohl... als auch at least once a day. It forces your brain to plan the end of the sentence while you're still at the beginning.
- Watch the commas: Go through your last text message to a German friend. Did you put a comma before und? Delete it.
- Listen for the "n": Put on a German podcast (like Fest & Flauschig) and listen specifically to how they pronounce und. You’ll notice the 'd' is often silent or very soft, almost like a "un" in French but with a German vowel.
Basically, saying "and" in German is easy. Using it like a German is the real challenge. You’ve got the word—now you just need the style. Start by cutting the Oxford comma and working on your sentence variety. Your German will sound 50% more natural overnight.