Breakdown of Wir haben ein neues Hobby, seitdem die Enkelkinder aufwachsen.
ein
a, an (eine)
haben
to have
wir
we
neu
new
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
seitdem
since
das Hobby
the hobby
das Enkelkind
the grandchild
aufwachsen
to grow up
Questions & Answers about Wir haben ein neues Hobby, seitdem die Enkelkinder aufwachsen.
Why is the separable verb aufwachsen written as one single word here?
Normally, the prefix auf- would split off and go to the end of the sentence. However, seitdem (ever since) is a subordinating conjunction, which pushes the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. When a separable verb is pushed to the end like this, its two parts snap back together into a single word: aufwachsen.
The translation says 'we have had' and 'have been growing up', but the German uses the present tense (haben, aufwachsen). Why?
In German, if an action started in the past and is still happening right now, you use the present tense. English uses the present perfect for this (like 'have had' or 'have been growing'). The conjunction seitdem already makes it perfectly clear to a German speaker that the action started in the past.
Can I use seit instead of seitdem in this sentence?
Yes, you can! When connecting two clauses like this, seit and seitdem mean the exact same thing (since) and both push the verb to the end of the sentence. Using seitdem just sounds a little more emphatic.
Why does the adjective get an -es ending in ein neues Hobby?
Hobby is a neuter noun (das Hobby) and it is the direct object (accusative case) of the verb haben. Because it comes after the indefinite article ein, the adjective neu needs the neuter ending -es.
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