Breakdown of Obwohl der Hund alt ist, ist er sowohl neugierig als auch verspielt.
sein
to be
er
he
der Hund
the dog
alt
old
obwohl
although
sowohl ... als auch
both ... and
verspielt
playful
neugierig
curious
Questions & Answers about Obwohl der Hund alt ist, ist er sowohl neugierig als auch verspielt.
How do we use sowohl ... als auch in this sentence?
This is a two-part conjunction that translates to "both ... and". Here, it connects the two adjectives neugierig (curious) and verspielt (playful) to strongly emphasize that the dog has both of these energetic traits, which contrasts with the fact that he is old.
Does using sowohl ... als auch change the word order?
No, it behaves just like the simple word und (and). It merely wraps around the items you are listing (sowohl [Item A] als auch [Item B]) without kicking the verb to the end or changing any other structural rules.
Should there be a comma before als auch?
No. Because this structure functions similarly to und to link two parts of a list, you do not place a comma before als auch.
Why does the second half of the sentence say ... ist er ... instead of ... er ist ...?
This is a perfect example of the "verb second" rule in action. The sentence begins with a subordinate clause (Obwohl der Hund alt ist). That entire block of words counts as position 1. To keep the main verb in position 2, ist must come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject er to position 3.
I know spielen means "to play". How do we get verspielt (playful)?
Verspielt is an adjective built from the verb spielen. By adding the prefix ver- and the suffix -t, German creates a descriptive word for someone or something that has a permanent, game-loving nature.
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