Breakdown of Die Hitze ist schrecklich. Trotzdem schwitzt man nicht.
sein
to be
nicht
not
man
one / you (impersonal)
schrecklich
terrible, awful
trotzdem
nevertheless
die Hitze
the heat
schwitzen
to sweat
Questions & Answers about Die Hitze ist schrecklich. Trotzdem schwitzt man nicht.
Why does the verb schwitzt come right after Trotzdem instead of after the subject man?
Trotzdem (nevertheless) is an adverb, and here it takes the very first spot (Position 1) in the sentence. In German, the conjugated verb in a main clause must always take Position 2. Because Trotzdem is in the first spot, the verb schwitzt has to come second, which pushes the subject man into Position 3.
Could I put trotzdem somewhere else in the sentence and keep man first?
Yes! You can start with the subject: Man schwitzt trotzdem nicht. The verb schwitzt stays in Position 2, and the adverb trotzdem just moves to the middle of the sentence. Putting Trotzdem at the very beginning just adds a bit more emphasis to the contrast.
The translation uses 'you', but isn't the German word for 'you' du or Sie?
While du and Sie mean 'you' when talking directly to a specific person, man is an impersonal pronoun. It is used to talk about people in general, much like saying 'one does not sweat' or 'people do not sweat'. Just be careful not to confuse it with the noun der Mann (the man), which has two Ns and is always capitalized!
Can I combine these two sentences into one using a comma?
Yes, you can write Die Hitze ist schrecklich, trotzdem schwitzt man nicht. However, because trotzdem is an adverb and not a standard coordinating conjunction (like und or aber), the word order does not change. Trotzdem still acts as the first idea of the second clause, keeping the verb schwitzt right behind it in Position 2.
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