weil, deshalb, obwohl: connectors that make you sound B1
The small words that show control: reason, result, contrast — and the word order that comes with each one.
~2 min read · B1
Reason vs result
weil (verb last) explains. deshalb / deswegen (verb second, like an adverb) state a result. Ich bin müde, weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe. Ich habe schlecht geschlafen. Deshalb bin ich müde. Same facts, different machine.
Mixing them — weil deshalb — is how texts start to wobble. Pick one relationship per sentence.
Contrast that examiners can hear
obwohl takes verb-last: Obwohl es regnet, gehen wir spazieren. trotzdem is not a conjunction in the same way; it is an adverb: Es regnet. Trotzdem gehen wir spazieren. If you write trotzdem es regnet you have borrowed English *despite* and missed the German split.
aber is the everyday contrast inside a sentence. jedoch is a bit more written. You do not need both in every paragraph.
Purpose
damit (verb last, usually a new subject): Ich erkläre das, damit du es verstehst. um … zu when the subject stays the same: Ich lerne, um die Prüfung zu bestehen. Using für plus a verb (*für bestehen*) is English in a German coat.
How to practise without a connector poster
Take one opinion you actually hold. Write it four ways: weil, deshalb, obwohl, damit. Read them aloud. If the verb is in the wrong place, the connector did not help you — it exposed the gap. Then drill the same shapes as blanks.