Breakdown of Der Berg ist steil. Trotzdem klettern wir.
sein
to be
wir
we
der Berg
the mountain
steil
steep
trotzdem
nevertheless
klettern
to climb
Questions & Answers about Der Berg ist steil. Trotzdem klettern wir.
Why is it klettern wir instead of wir klettern in the second sentence?
This is because trotzdem (nevertheless / despite that) is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction like und or aber. When you put it at the very beginning of the sentence (Position 1), the verb klettern must strictly stay in Position 2. This pushes the subject wir into Position 3.
Could I put trotzdem somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! If you prefer to start with the subject, you can move trotzdem after the verb: Wir klettern trotzdem. (We climb anyway). The meaning stays exactly the same, but the verb klettern safely remains in Position 2.
Could I use obwohl (although) to express the same idea?
You can, but it changes the grammar. Obwohl joins the two ideas into one sentence and pushes the verb to the very end of its clause: Obwohl der Berg steil ist, klettern wir. Using trotzdem is often easier because it lets you keep two separate sentences with simpler word order.
Does klettern just mean walking up the mountain?
Not exactly. klettern specifically means "to climb" using your hands and feet, like rock climbing or bouldering. If you were just hiking up a steep path on foot, you would usually use wandern (to hike) or steigen (to ascend).
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