Breakdown of Obwohl der Chef es wusste, hat er das Update installiert.
er
he
es
it
haben
to have
der Chef
the boss (male)
wissen
to know (a fact)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
obwohl
although
das Update
the update
installieren
to install
Questions & Answers about Obwohl der Chef es wusste, hat er das Update installiert.
Why are the verbs wusste and hat right next to each other, separated only by a comma?
Obwohl (although) is a subordinating conjunction, which forces the verb wusste to the very end of its clause. Because that entire obwohl clause acts as the first block of information (Position 1) in the sentence, the main clause must start immediately with its verb, hat, to keep it in Position 2.
Why does the first half use the simple past (wusste) while the second half uses the perfect tense (hat installiert)?
In spoken German, the perfect tense (hat installiert) is normally used for past actions. However, a few common verbs like haben, sein, modal verbs, and wissen (to know) are almost always used in the simple past (wusste) instead. It is perfectly normal and very common to mix these two past tenses in the same sentence!
Could I use kannte instead of wusste here since they both mean "knew"?
No. You use wissen (here as wusste) when knowing a fact or a piece of information (represented here by es). You use kennen (which would be kannte) when you are personally familiar with a person, place, or specific object.
How do we know that the English loanword Update is neuter (das)?
There is no strict rule, but English loanwords in German, especially in technology and business, very often default to the neuter gender (das). Sometimes a word takes the gender of its closest German equivalent, but memorizing das Update is your best bet here.
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