Breakdown of Mein Bruder wurde selbstständig, als er dreißig wurde.
er
he
mein
my
der Bruder
the brother
dreißig
thirty
Questions & Answers about Mein Bruder wurde selbstständig, als er dreißig wurde.
Why do we use als for 'when' here instead of wenn?
Because turning thirty is a single event in the past. In German, you must use als for a one-time event or a specific period that happened in the past. If you were talking about the present, the future, or something that happens repeatedly (like 'whenever'), you would use wenn.
Why is the second wurde at the very end of the sentence?
The word als is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and always kicks the conjugated verb in that clause (here, wurde) to the very end.
Why do we use wurde for turning thirty? Doesn't it just mean 'became'?
Exactly! wurde is the simple past tense of werden (to become). While in English we say someone 'turned' an age, in German they 'became' that age. So he literally 'became thirty'.
What is the literal meaning of selbstständig?
It is made up of selbst (self) and ständig (standing or constant). It literally means standing on your own, which translates to being independent or self-employed.