Concession and contrast: obwohl, trotzdem, während, dagegen
Express although, nevertheless, despite, but rather and whereas in German, and put the verb in the right place after each type of connector.
Connectors · Upper intermediate · 25 min · 40 exercises · Goethe B2, AP German, College
At B2 you are expected to weigh arguments: something is true, and yet something else happens; one group does this, the other does that. German has a rich set of words for concession (an obstacle that does not prevent the result) and for contrast. The meanings are easy. The difficulty is that these words belong to three different word classes, and each class has its own word order.
Three types of connectors, three word orders
1. Coordinating conjunctions (aber, sondern, doch) stand in position 0: they do not count, and normal word order follows: ..., aber die Nachfrage bleibt hoch. 2. Subordinating conjunctions (obwohl, während) send the conjugated verb to the end of their clause: obwohl die Preise gestiegen sind. If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause begins with its verb. 3. Connecting adverbs (trotzdem, dennoch, dagegen, hingegen, jedoch, allerdings) are a part of their sentence: in position 1 they are followed directly by the verb, then the subject (inversion): Trotzdem bleibt die Nachfrage hoch. They can also stand in the middle field: Die Nachfrage bleibt trotzdem hoch.
The connectors of concession and contrast
| Connector | Type | Word order | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| obwohl | subordinating conjunction | verb at the end | although, even though |
| trotzdem, dennoch | adverb | position 1 + verb + subject, or middle field | nevertheless, still |
| trotz | preposition + genitive | followed by a noun, not a clause | despite, in spite of |
| zwar ... aber | two-part connector | zwar in position 1 or middle field; aber in position 0 | it is true that ... but |
| aber | coordinating conjunction | position 0: subject + verb | but |
| sondern | coordinating conjunction | position 0, only after a negation | but rather, but instead |
| doch | coordinating conjunction | position 0: subject + verb | but, yet |
| während | subordinating conjunction | verb at the end | whereas, while |
| dagegen, hingegen | adverb | position 1 + verb, or right after the contrasted element | in contrast, on the other hand |
| jedoch | adverb | position 1 + verb, or middle field | however |
| allerdings | adverb | position 1 + verb, or middle field | however, admittedly |
Concession: obwohl, trotzdem, dennoch, trotz, zwar ... aber
All of these say that a result happens in spite of an obstacle, but they attach to different parts. Obwohl (although) introduces the obstacle: Obwohl es regnete, fand das Spiel statt. Trotzdem and the more formal dennoch (nevertheless) introduce the surprising result: Es regnete. Trotzdem fand das Spiel statt. Trotz (despite) is a preposition with the genitive and is followed by a noun: Trotz des Regens fand das Spiel statt. Zwar ... aber admits one point before making the opposite one: Das Spiel fand zwar statt, aber es kamen nur wenige Zuschauer.
obwohl
- conjunction: verb at the end
- in the clause of the obstacle
- Obwohl es schneit, fährt der Bus.
trotzdem
- adverb: verb follows directly
- in the clause of the result
- Es schneit, trotzdem fährt der Bus.
trotz
- preposition + genitive
- before a noun, no clause
- Trotz des Schnees fährt der Bus.
Concession
- Obwohl die Firma Gewinn macht, werden keine neuen Mitarbeiter eingestellt.Although the company is making a profit, no new employees are being hired.verb at the end of the obwohl-clause; the main clause then starts with its verb
- Die Firma macht Gewinn. Trotzdem werden keine neuen Mitarbeiter eingestellt.The company is making a profit. Nevertheless, no new employees are being hired.trotzdem in position 1, verb in position 2
- Die Risiken sind bekannt, dennoch nutzen viele Menschen dasselbe Passwort für alle Konten.The risks are well known; nevertheless many people use the same password for all their accounts.dennoch is more formal than trotzdem
- Trotz der hohen Kosten entschied sich die Stadt für den Bau der neuen Bibliothek.Despite the high costs, the city decided to build the new library.trotz + genitive: der hohen Kosten
- Das Medikament ist zwar wirksam, aber es hat starke Nebenwirkungen.The drug is effective, to be sure, but it has strong side effects.zwar announces that an aber is coming
Aber or sondern?
Both are translated as but. Sondern is used only after a negation (nicht, kein, nie) and corrects what was just denied: it replaces the wrong information with the right one. Das Treffen findet nicht am Montag, sondern am Mittwoch statt (not A, but rather B). Aber adds a contrast or a limitation without cancelling the first part. It is possible after a negative clause too, when nothing is corrected: Er ist nicht reich, aber er ist zufrieden. Both stand in position 0, and a comma comes before them.
Contrast: während, dagegen, hingegen, jedoch, allerdings, doch
Während (whereas) is a subordinating conjunction that sets two facts side by side: Während die Großstädte wachsen, verlieren viele Dörfer Einwohner. You know it as while for time; the context decides. Dagegen and hingegen (in contrast, on the other hand) are adverbs. They stand in position 1 (Dagegen verlieren viele Dörfer Einwohner) or right after the element that is contrasted (Viele Dörfer dagegen verlieren Einwohner). Jedoch (however) is a formal alternative to aber, and allerdings (however, admittedly) adds a reservation: Die Wohnung ist schön, allerdings ist sie sehr teuer. Doch as a conjunction means the same as aber and stands in position 0: Sie wollte anrufen, doch sie hatte keinen Empfang.
Contrast and correction
- Während ältere Menschen Nachrichten meistens im Fernsehen sehen, informieren sich Jugendliche vor allem online.Whereas older people mostly watch the news on television, young people get their information mainly online.während: verb at the end, then verb first in the main clause
- In Norddeutschland ist es oft windig. Im Süden dagegen scheint häufiger die Sonne.In northern Germany it is often windy. In the south, in contrast, the sun shines more often.dagegen right after the contrasted element
- Die Zahl der Elektroautos steigt. Die Zahl der Ladestationen hingegen wächst nur langsam.The number of electric cars is rising. The number of charging stations, on the other hand, is growing only slowly.hingegen is typical of written German
- Das Experiment war erfolgreich, jedoch müssen die Ergebnisse noch überprüft werden.The experiment was successful; however, the results still have to be verified.jedoch in position 1: the verb follows
- Die Stelle ist interessant, allerdings müsste ich dafür nach Hamburg umziehen.The job is interesting; however, I would have to move to Hamburg for it.allerdings adds a reservation
- Er hat nicht Medizin, sondern Biologie studiert.He did not study medicine but biology.sondern corrects the negated element
Look at what follows the connector. A noun group in the genitive: trotz. A clause with the verb at the end: obwohl. A clause with the verb right after the connector: trotzdem or dennoch. One idea, three patterns: Obwohl es regnete, gingen wir spazieren. Es regnete, trotzdem gingen wir spazieren. Trotz des Regens gingen wir spazieren.
English speakers often mix up obwohl and trotzdem. Obwohl stands in the clause of the obstacle and sends the verb to the end; trotzdem stands in the clause of the result and is followed by the verb. Do not write Trotzdem es regnete, ... and do not write Trotzdem wir gingen spazieren: after trotzdem in position 1 comes the verb (Trotzdem gingen wir spazieren). Also remember that English but after a negation is usually sondern, not aber: nicht heute, sondern morgen.
The exercises of this lesson
40 corrected exercises in three sessions (discovery, practice, challenge): multiple choice (5), fill in the gap (11), find the mistake (5), word order (1), rewrite (5), translation (6), gap text (3), matching (2), sorting (2). Every answer is corrected immediately, with the rule that applies.