obwohl and trotzdem: although, and still
Say that something happens despite something else, with the right word order for each word.
Part of the free B1 German course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
To say that something happens in spite of something else, German has two main words. They mean almost the same, but they work differently in the sentence.
| Word | Type | Word order | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| obwohl | subordinating conjunction (like weil) | verb at the end of its clause | although, even though |
| trotzdem | adverb (like deshalb) | verb straight after it | still, anyway, nevertheless |
obwohl: verb to the end
Obwohl starts a subordinate clause, just like weil (weil and dass: the verb goes to the end). If the obwohl clause comes first, the main clause starts with its verb.
- Obwohl es regnet, gehen wir spazieren.Although it's raining, we're going for a walk.
- Wir gehen spazieren, obwohl es regnet.We're going for a walk although it's raining.
- Obwohl Jonas krank war, ist er zur Arbeit gegangen.Although Jonas was ill, he went to work.
- Ich habe ihn eingeladen, obwohl ich ihn nicht besonders mag.I invited him even though I don't particularly like him.
trotzdem: a new main clause
Trotzdem refers back to the sentence before. At the start of a clause it takes position 1, so the verb comes next. It can also go in the middle of the clause.
- Es regnet. Trotzdem gehen wir spazieren.It's raining. We're going for a walk anyway.
- Es regnet, aber wir gehen trotzdem spazieren.It's raining, but we're going for a walk anyway.
- Die Wohnung ist klein. Trotzdem fühlen wir uns dort wohl.The flat is small. Even so, we feel at home there.
- Sie hatte wenig Zeit und hat mir trotzdem geholfen.She had little time and still helped me.
Dennoch means the same as trotzdem and is a little more formal.
A quick test: obwohl gives the obstacle (obwohl es regnet); trotzdem comes with the result (trotzdem gehen wir). To say "despite" with a noun, use trotz: trotz des Regens (wegen, trotz, während, statt + genitive).
Common mistakes
Obwohl es regnet, wir gehen spazieren.After the obwohl clause the main clause starts with the verb: gehen wir spazieren.Obwohl ist es kalt, …Obwohl sends the verb to the end: obwohl es kalt ist.Trotzdem ich gehe.Trotzdem takes position 1, so the verb comes next: Trotzdem gehe ich.Trotzdem es kalt ist, …In everyday speech some people use trotzdem like obwohl, but in standard German use obwohl es kalt ist.Obwohl es kalt ist, aber wir gehen raus.Don't add aber after an obwohl clause: Obwohl es kalt ist, gehen wir raus.
Practice
- _____ ich müde bin, kann ich nicht einschlafen.Options: Obwohl · Trotzdem · Weil · Deshalb
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Obwohl — A clause with the verb at the end meaning although: obwohl.
- Er hat den Job bekommen, _____ er keine Erfahrung hatte.
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obwohl — Obwohl + verb at the end (obgleich is a formal synonym).
- Das Wetter war schlecht. _____ sind wir an den Strand gefahren.
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Trotzdem — Trotzdem in position 1, then the verb sind.
- Which sentence is correct?Options: Obwohl sie wenig Geld hat, reist sie viel. · Obwohl sie wenig Geld hat, sie reist viel. · Obwohl hat sie wenig Geld, reist sie viel. · Obwohl sie hat wenig Geld, reist sie viel.
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Obwohl sie wenig Geld hat, reist sie viel. — Verb last in the obwohl clause; the main clause then begins with its verb.