Fronted Subject Clauses (dass, ob)
When planning a massive outdoor wedding, you have to deal with both known facts and unpredictable contingencies. To make a statement about an entire situation—such as "That it will rain" or "Whether the tent is weatherproof"—you can use a whole subordinate clause as the logical subject of your main sentence.
Form these subject clauses using dass (that) for established facts or ob (whether/if) for uncertainties. Because these are subordinate clauses, their conjugated verbs are pushed to the very end.
When you place a subject clause at the beginning of your sentence, the entire clause occupies Position 1. The conjugated verb of the main clause must come immediately after the comma to claim Position 2.
Here is an example using an ob-clause as the subject:
| Whether it rains during the wedding ceremony remains uncertain. | Ob es bei der Trauung regnet, bleibt ungewiss. |
And a dass-clause:
| That the coordination takes so long is too nerve-wracking for the wedding planner. | Dass die Koordination so lange dauert, ist dem Hochzeitsplaner zu nervenaufreibend. |
Notice in both examples how the main clause starts directly with the verb (bleibt and ist) immediately after the comma, securing Position 2.
Here are a few more examples of these fronted clauses in action:
| Whether the tent is weatherproof is crucial for the venue. | Ob das Zelt wetterfest ist, ist für die Location entscheidend. |
| That the wedding ceremony is postponed is foreseeable. | Dass die Trauung verschoben wird, ist absehbar. |
| Whether the wedding planner saves the catering remains uncertain. | Ob der Hochzeitsplaner das Catering rettet, bleibt ungewiss. |
You can also use question words like warum (why) or wann (when) instead of ob to form an indirect question as your subject:
| Why the seating plan is missing is surprisingly not a problem. | Warum der Sitzplan fehlt, ist überraschenderweise kein Problem. |
| Whether the dance floor stays dry is of course extremely important. | Ob die Tanzfläche trocken bleibt, ist natürlich extrem wichtig. |
