Breakdown of Er bucht das Hotel, obwohl er nicht wach ist.
sein
to be
er
he
nicht
not
das Hotel
the hotel
wach
awake
obwohl
although
buchen
to book
Questions & Answers about Er bucht das Hotel, obwohl er nicht wach ist.
Why is ist at the very end of the sentence?
Because obwohl (although) is a subordinating conjunction. Words like this kick the conjugated verb (in this case, ist) to the very end of their clause.
Is the comma before obwohl strictly required?
Yes! In German, you must always place a comma to separate a main clause from a subordinate clause (like the one starting with obwohl).
Why does nicht come right before wach?
When you want to negate a specific adjective in German, nicht is placed directly before the word it negates. Here, it is negating the adjective wach (awake).
Could I swap the order and start the sentence with obwohl?
Yes, you can! If you put the obwohl clause first, it takes up the entire first position of the sentence. The main clause must then immediately follow with its verb to keep the verb in the second position: Obwohl er nicht wach ist, bucht er das Hotel. Notice how the verb bucht comes right after the comma.
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