bis

Until (Bis)

Level 3

Use bis to describe an action or state that continues up to a specific point in time. It functions as a subordinating conjunction, meaning the conjugated verb must go to the very end of the clause.

How It Works

The conjunction bis connects two events where the first event continues until the second event begins or marks its limit.

1. Word Order:
As a subordinating conjunction, bis pushes the conjugated verb to the end. For separable verbs, the prefix and base verb are joined at the end.

2. Conjunction vs. Preposition:
Learners must distinguish between the conjunction and the preposition:
• Conjunction: Introduces a clause with a verb (e.g., Ich warte, bis er kommt).
• Preposition: Used before nouns without articles, taking the Accusative case (e.g., bis Montag). It also works directly with demonstrative pronouns or adjectives (e.g., bis diesen Freitag, bis nächsten Montag).
• Combinations: When an article is present, bis is often combined with other prepositions: bis zu + Dative case (e.g., bis zum Ende), bis in + Accusative (e.g., bis in die Stadt), or bis nach (e.g., bis nach Berlin).

3. Tense Usage:
Usually, the bis-clause uses the same tense as the main clause. To emphasize that the action in the bis-clause must be completed first, the Perfekt is often used.

4. Punctuation:
A comma is mandatory to separate the main clause from the bis-clause.

5. Distinction from 'solange':
While bis marks an endpoint, solange (as long as) describes two actions happening simultaneously for the same duration.

Examples (4)

  1. Warte hier, bis ich zurückkomme.

    Wait here until I come back.

    Word by Word: Wait here, until I back-come.

    Notice how the verb 'zurückkommen' is at the end and the prefix 'zurück' is attached to the verb.

  2. Wir bleiben im Haus, bis der Regen aufhört.

    We are staying in the house until the rain stops.

    Word by Word: We stay in-the house, until the rain stops.

    The action of staying in the house ends the moment the rain stops.

  3. Du darfst nicht spielen, bis du deine Hausaufgaben gemacht hast.

    You may not play until you have done your homework.

    Word by Word: You may not play, until you your homework done have.

    Here, the Perfekt (gemacht hast) is used to show the homework must be finished before playing starts.

  4. Bis das Essen fertig ist, lese ich ein Buch.

    Until the food is ready, I am reading a book.

    Word by Word: Until the food ready is, read I a book.

    When the 'bis'-clause comes first, the main clause starts with the verb (lese) due to inversion rules.

Common Mistakes

  • Using Verb-Second (V2) word order after 'bis'.

    Ich warte, bis du kommst zurück.
    Ich warte, bis du zurückkommst.

    In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb (and its prefix) must move to the very end.

  • Confusing 'bis' (until) with 'bevor' (before).

    Ich putze, bevor es sauber ist.
    Ich putze, bis es sauber ist.

    'Bevor' means one event happens before another. 'Bis' means the action continues up to the point the state changes.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

bisLevel 3Until (Bis)

Learn This First

To use 'bis' as a subordinating conjunction, you must understand how German subordinate clauses are structured, specifically that the conjugated verb is placed at the very end of the clause. You should also be comfortable with basic verb conjugation and the distinction between different types of conjunctions.

Words in This Pattern

bis