Breakdown of Er fährt nicht, falls es schneit.
er
he
es
it
nicht
not
fahren
to drive, to travel
schneien
to snow
falls
in case / if (conditional)
Questions & Answers about Er fährt nicht, falls es schneit.
What is the difference between falls and wenn in this context?
Both can translate to 'if', but falls translates more closely to 'in case' or 'in the event that'. While wenn can mean either 'if' or 'whenever', falls is strictly conditional. It makes it crystal clear that him not driving only happens on the specific condition of snow.
Why is the verb schneit placed at the very end of the sentence?
The word falls is a subordinating conjunction. In German, subordinating conjunctions always kick the conjugated verb to the very end of their clause.
Can I swap the two halves of this sentence around?
Yes! You can say: Falls es schneit, fährt er nicht. When you start a sentence with a subordinate clause, that entire clause counts as the first position. To satisfy the 'verb-second' rule for the main clause, the verb fährt must come right after the comma, before the subject er.
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