Breakdown of Obwohl der Architekt jung ist, kennt er Handwerker, denen er vertraut.
sein
to be
er
he
kennen
to know (somebody/something)
vertrauen
to trust
jung
young
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
obwohl
although
der Handwerker
the craftsman, tradesman
der Architekt
the architect
Questions & Answers about Obwohl der Architekt jung ist, kennt er Handwerker, denen er vertraut.
Why is the relative pronoun denen used here instead of die?
The pronoun refers back to the plural noun Handwerker. While the standard plural relative pronoun is die, the verb vertrauen (to trust) is a special verb that always requires the dative case. The dative plural relative pronoun is denen.
Is Handwerker singular or plural in this sentence?
It is plural here. The word Handwerker looks exactly the same in both singular and plural. We know it is plural because of the relative pronoun denen. If he only knew one tradesman (singular masculine), the sentence would use the dative masculine pronoun: dem er vertraut.
Why does the main clause start with kennt er instead of er kennt?
The sentence begins with a subordinate clause (Obwohl der Architekt jung ist). In German word order, this entire clause counts as "Position 1". Because the main verb must always be in Position 2, kennt has to come right after the comma, swapping places with the subject er.
Why is the verb vertraut pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The phrase denen er vertraut is a relative clause. In German, relative clauses follow the same word order rules as subordinate clauses, which means the conjugated verb (vertraut) is kicked to the very end of the clause.
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