Breakdown of Wenn du möchtest, kannst du entweder Biologie oder Physik studieren.
du
you (informal singular)
können
can / to be able to
möchten
would like
oder
or
studieren
to study
wenn
if / when (conditional, not a question word)
entweder
either
die Biologie
the biology
die Physik
the physics
Questions & Answers about Wenn du möchtest, kannst du entweder Biologie oder Physik studieren.
How do entweder and oder affect the word order here?
In this specific sentence, entweder (either) and oder (or) simply connect two nouns, Biologie and Physik. Because they are just linking the two options for what you can study, they don't change the placement of the verbs at all.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb kannst?
The sentence starts with a subordinate clause, Wenn du möchtest. In German, when a sentence begins with a subordinate clause, that entire clause takes up the first position. The main clause must then immediately start with its verb in the second position. That is why kannst comes right after the comma, before the subject du.
Could I use lernen instead of studieren at the end of the sentence?
It depends on the context, but they mean different things. In German, studieren specifically means to study a subject as a degree program at a university. If this sentence is about choosing high school classes or just reading up on a topic, you must use lernen instead.
Is it possible to leave out the second du since it was already said in the first half?
No, you cannot drop the second du. Even though it feels repetitive, German requires the subject to be explicitly stated in both the subordinate clause and the main clause: Wenn du möchtest, kannst du...
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