Are you struggling with the Luxembourgish word order when using words such as well or wann?
Well and wann are what we call conjunctions. In simple terms, they’re words that connect two parts of a sentence – a main idea and an extra piece of information.
Now, there are quite a few of these in Luxembourgish… but today, we’re focusing on two of the most important ones: well and wann.
Well & Wann
Well means because and wann either means if or when and they are subordinate conjunctions. Well and wann don’t just connect sentences but they also change the word order. And that’s where things get interesting.
Let’s take the example from the previous episode about talking to childcare stuff:
Mäi Jong ass midd. Hie schléift de Moment net gutt.
Remember the most important rule about the word order: the verb is ALWAYS the second element in a main clause!
We have 2 separate phrases. But we can combine these 2 phrases with a conjunction:
- Mäi Jong ass midd, well hien de Moment net gutt schléift. – My son is tired, because he doesn’t sleep well at the moment.
As you can see well is followed by the subject hien and the verb is at the end of the clause.
☛The subordinate conjunction well pushes the verb to the very end of the sentence.
The same applies with wann:
- Hatt geet bei den Dokter, wann hatt krank ass. – She goes to the doctor when she is sick.
Rule:
Main clause, subordinate conjunction + subject + ….. + verb
Remark: note the comma before the subordinate conjunction.
What happens if the subordinate clause comes before the main clause?
Then we have the rule: Verb – comma – Verb
Beispiller (examples):
Wann hatt krank ass, geet hatt bei den Dokter.
Well hatt krank ass, geet hatt bei den Dokter.
If you’re thinking, “Okay, I get it… but I want to actually use this when I speak”—then this is exactly where you take the next step.
If you want to really understand word order, practise speaking regularly, and stop hesitating every time you build a sentence…
If you’re ready to move beyond A2 and speak confidently at B1 in just four months—
Then come join my B1 Hybrid Bootcamp.
It’s a small, friendly group—maximum four motivated learners—so you actually get the chance to speak.
You’ll practise through real conversations, learn practical phrases you can use immediately, and most importantly… you’ll build the confidence to actually use Luxembourgish in everyday situations.
Let's practice:
a) Try to combine the 2 sentences into one with either well or wann!
b) Write the same sentence by starting with the subordinate clause!
- Mir bleiwen haut doheem. Et reent.
- Ech gi Vëlo fueren. D’Wieder ass schéin.
- Ech maachen haut kee Sport. Ech muss laang schaffen.
- Hie léiert Lëtzebuergesch. Hie wëll Leit kenneléieren.
- Ech gi meng Elteren besichen. Ech hunn de Weekend Zäit.
Solutions:
- Mir bleiwen haut doheem, well et reent.
Well et reent, bleiwe mir haut doheem.
2. Ech gi Vëlo fueren, wann d’Wieder schéin ass.
Wann d’Wieder schéin ass, ginn ech Vëlo fueren.
3. Ech maachen haut kee Sport, well ech laang schaffe muss.
Well ech laang schaffe muss, maachen ech haut kee Sport.
4. Hie léiert Lëtzebuergesch, well hie Leit kenneléieren wëll.
Well hie Leit kenneléieren wëll, léiert hien Lëtzebuergesch.
5. Ech gi meng Elteren besichen, wann ech de Weekend Zäit hunn.
Wann ech de Weekend Zäit hunn, ginn ech meng Elteren besichen.
