Breakdown of Seitdem er nicht mehr arbeitet, hat er mehr Freizeit.
er
he
arbeiten
to work
haben
to have
nicht mehr
no longer, not any more
Questions & Answers about Seitdem er nicht mehr arbeitet, hat er mehr Freizeit.
Why is the verb arbeitet at the very end of the first part of the sentence?
Seitdem (ever since) is a subordinating conjunction. These types of connecting words always kick the conjugated verb—in this case, arbeitet—to the very end of their clause, right before the comma.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with the verb hat?
In German, the verb in a main clause must always be in the second position. When you start a sentence with a dependent clause like Seitdem er nicht mehr arbeitet, that entire first half counts as block number one. Therefore, the verb hat must come immediately after the comma to take position two.
The English translation says 'stopped working' and 'has had', but aren't both German verbs in the present tense?
Yes, they are! In English, we use past or perfect tenses for situations that started in the past. But in German, if a situation started in the past and is still true today, you use seitdem (or seit) with the present tense. He still isn't working, and he still has free time, so both verbs stay in the present tense.
I don't see a word for 'stopped' here. How does the German sentence express that?
The German sentence literally translates to 'Since he works nicht mehr' (not anymore / no longer). Translating it as 'stopped working' just sounds more natural in English. German often uses nicht mehr with a present tense verb to express that a habit or action has ended.