Capitalization and punctuation basics

Capitalization

In German, all nouns start with a capital letter. This is not optional in standard writing.

• das Haus
• die Sprache
• mein Freund
• eine wichtige Entscheidung

Sentence boundaries

Use a full stop to separate ideas clearly.
Very long A1/A2 sentences often become confusing, so splitting one long sentence into two shorter ones is usually better.

Commas in simple writing

• Use commas in short lists: Ich kaufe Brot, Milch und Obst.
• Use commas to separate clauses: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.
• Use commas before coordinating structures with clear clause breaks: Am Montag gehe ich zur Arbeit, und am Abend lese ich ein Buch.

Frequent punctuation issues

• Missing full stop at the end of a sentence.
• Writing many short ideas with only commas.
• Forgetting a comma before subordinate clauses with words like weil, dass, wenn.

Fast editing checklist

Before finishing your text, check these 4 points:

1. Do all nouns start with a capital letter?
2. Does each sentence end with punctuation?
3. Are long sentences split where needed?
4. Are commas used to separate clauses and lists?

Writing tip

If a text feels hard to read, first check punctuation before changing vocabulary.
Small punctuation fixes often improve readability more than advanced words.