Breakdown of Die Mannschaft ist schwach. Trotzdem kämpft sie mutig.
sein
to be
sie
she
die Mannschaft
the team
schwach
weak
trotzdem
nevertheless
kämpfen
to fight
mutig
brave
Questions & Answers about Die Mannschaft ist schwach. Trotzdem kämpft sie mutig.
Why is the verb kämpft before the subject sie in the second sentence?
Because the second sentence starts with the adverb trotzdem (nevertheless). In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always take the second position. Since trotzdem is in Position 1, the verb kämpft must be in Position 2, pushing the subject sie into Position 3.
Why does the second sentence use sie when the English translation says 'it'?
In German, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they refer to. The word for team is die Mannschaft, which is a feminine noun. Therefore, you use the feminine pronoun sie to replace it, even though in English we refer to a team as 'it'.
Could I write the second sentence as Sie kämpft trotzdem mutig?
Yes! Because trotzdem is an adverb, it is flexible and can move around. If you start with the subject sie in Position 1, the verb kämpft stays in Position 2, and trotzdem moves to the middle of the sentence. Putting trotzdem at the very beginning of the sentence simply puts more emphasis on the contrast.
Could I just swap trotzdem with obwohl (although) to say the same thing?
No, because they affect the sentence structure differently. Trotzdem (nevertheless) is an adverb that can start a new main sentence. Obwohl (although) is a conjunction that connects two ideas into one sentence and kicks the verb to the end of its clause. You would have to rewrite the whole thing as one sentence: Obwohl die Mannschaft schwach ist, kämpft sie mutig.
Learn Die Mannschaft ist schwach. Trotzdem kämpft sie mutig and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free