Breakdown of Obwohl die Schwierigkeit groß ist, verlieren wir die Hoffnung nicht.
sein
to be
groß
big / tall
wir
we
nicht
not
verlieren
to lose
obwohl
although
die Hoffnung
the hope
die Schwierigkeit
the difficulty
Questions & Answers about Obwohl die Schwierigkeit groß ist, verlieren wir die Hoffnung nicht.
How do we know that Schwierigkeit is a feminine noun?
The suffix -keit is a massive clue. Whenever you see a noun ending in -keit, it is strictly feminine and uses die. This suffix is typically added to adjectives (like schwierig, meaning difficult) to turn them into abstract nouns.
Is Hoffnung feminine for a similar reason?
Exactly! The suffix -ung also automatically makes a noun feminine. While -keit usually attaches to adjectives, -ung usually attaches to the stem of a verb. Here, it takes the verb hoffen (to hope) and turns it into the noun Hoffnung (the hope).
Why is the verb ist at the very end of the first clause?
The word Obwohl (although) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it creates a dependent clause and kicks the conjugated verb (ist) to the very end of its clause, right before the comma.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with verlieren wir instead of wir verlieren?
This is because of the verb-second rule. The entire Obwohl clause acts as the first block of information in the sentence. Since the main verb must come in the second position, verlieren has to come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject (wir) into the third position.
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