Breakdown of Das Eis ist gefährlich. Trotzdem geben wir nicht auf.
sein
to be
wir
we
nicht
not
gefährlich
dangerous
trotzdem
nevertheless
das Eis
the ice
aufgeben
to give up (surrender, quit)
Questions & Answers about Das Eis ist gefährlich. Trotzdem geben wir nicht auf.
Why is the verb geben before the subject wir in the second sentence?
Because the adverb trotzdem (nevertheless) takes up the first position in the sentence. In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always take the second position. Since trotzdem is in position 1, the verb geben comes right after it, pushing the subject wir into position 3.
Why is auf at the very end of the sentence?
The verb for "to give up" is aufgeben, which is a separable verb. In a normal present tense sentence like this one, the prefix auf separates from the core verb (geben) and moves to the very end of the clause.
Why is nicht placed right before auf?
When you negate a sentence that has a separable verb, the word nicht (not) usually goes as close to the end of the sentence as possible, but strictly before the separated prefix. Here, it sits right in front of auf to negate the entire action of giving up.
Could I use obwohl instead of trotzdem to mean the same thing?
You could express the same idea, but the grammar would change completely because obwohl means "although" and works differently. Trotzdem connects two independent sentences. Obwohl creates a dependent clause that pushes the verb to the end, for example: Obwohl das Eis gefährlich ist, geben wir nicht auf.
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