Breakdown of Seitdem wir das Alter genießen, wollen wir die Welt kennenlernen.
wir
we
wollen
to want
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
genießen
to enjoy
seitdem
since
die Welt
the world
kennenlernen
to get to know
das Alter
the old age / the age
Questions & Answers about Seitdem wir das Alter genießen, wollen wir die Welt kennenlernen.
Why do the two verbs genießen and wollen end up right next to each other?
This is a classic German word order rule! The sentence starts with a subordinate clause introduced by seitdem. This pushes its verb (genießen) to the end of that clause, right before the comma. Because this entire subordinate clause acts as the first block of the whole sentence, the main clause must start immediately with its verb (wollen) to keep it in the second position.
Could I use seit instead of seitdem in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. When connecting two clauses like this, seit and seitdem both mean 'since' and function exactly the same way. Both push the conjugated verb to the end of the clause. You will hear native speakers use both interchangeably.
Why is kennenlernen at the very end of the sentence?
The second part of the sentence uses the modal verb wollen (want). Modal verbs always push the action verb—in this case, kennenlernen (to get to know)—to the very end of the sentence in its infinitive or dictionary form.
I thought kennenlernen was a separable verb. Why isn't it separated here?
You are right that it is separable! If it were the main conjugated verb, it would separate (for example: Wir lernen die Welt kennen). However, because the modal verb wollen forces it into its full infinitive form at the end of the sentence, it stays glued together as one word.
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