Breakdown of Der Wissenschaftler sagt mir nicht, ob das Experiment funktioniert, wenn es regnet.
es
it
sagen
to say
nicht
not
funktionieren
to work (function)
regnen
to rain
mir
me / to me (dative)
wenn
if / when (conditional, not a question word)
der Wissenschaftler
the scientist
ob
whether / if
das Experiment
the experiment
Questions & Answers about Der Wissenschaftler sagt mir nicht, ob das Experiment funktioniert, wenn es regnet.
Why does this sentence use both ob and wenn to mean if?
In English, the word if does double duty, but German strictly separates the meanings. You use ob for indirect yes/no questions where you could also say whether (whether the experiment works). You use wenn for conditions (if it rains). This sentence is a great example of both in action!
Why are the verbs funktioniert and regnet at the very end of their clauses?
Both ob and wenn are subordinating conjunctions. This means that when they introduce a new part of the sentence, they push the conjugated verb to the very end of that specific section.
Why are there commas before ob and wenn?
German punctuation rules are strict about separating parts of a sentence. You must always use a comma to separate the main clause (Der Wissenschaftler sagt mir nicht) from a subordinate clause, and to separate two subordinate clauses from each other.
Why is it mir instead of mich?
The verb sagen uses the dative case for the person receiving the information. Since the scientist is telling something to you, ich changes to the dative mir.
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