LibGuides: German punctuation: Der Ergänzungsstrich/Der Gedankenstrich

Der Ergänzungsstrich/Der Gedankenstrich

Four German punctuation marks - quotation marks, the apostrophe, the comma and the dash - differ from their English counterparts in terms of how they are used.

Difference	German usage	English usage
Pauses, delayed continuation, contrast	* A dash or long dash indicates a pause, a delayed continuation or a contrast. Beispiel: Auf einmal - ein lautes Weinen!	* A dash or long dash indicates a pause, a delayed continuation or a contrast. Example: All of a sudden - a loud sobbing!
Change in speaker	* When there are no quotation marks, a dash or long dash indicates a change in speaker. Beispiel: - Aschenputtel, komm mal her! - Ja, ich komme sofort!	* Generally, quotation marks indicate a change in speaker. Example: "Cinderella, come here!" "Yes, I'm coming right away."
Prices	* A dash or long dash indicates an even price. Beispiel: €10,-	* A double zero or naught indicates an even price. Example: 10.00 euros

Source: Grimm's Grammar