Breakdown of Er liebt Deutschland, auch wenn er seine Familie vermisst.
er
he
Deutschland
Germany
lieben
to love
die Familie
the family
sein
his
auch wenn
even if
vermissen
to miss (someone or something emotionally)
Questions & Answers about Er liebt Deutschland, auch wenn er seine Familie vermisst.
Why is the verb vermisst at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase auch wenn (even if / even though) acts as a subordinating conjunction. This means it kicks the conjugated verb in its clause all the way to the end of the sentence.
Does auch wenn mean "even if" or "even though" here?
It can mean both! In English we often distinguish between a known fact ("even though") and a hypothetical situation ("even if"), but German typically covers both with auch wenn. You rely on the context to know which English translation fits best.
What would happen to the word order if we started the sentence with the auch wenn clause?
If you swap the clauses, the entire auch wenn clause acts as the first position of the main sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, it must immediately follow the comma: Auch wenn er seine Familie vermisst, liebt er Deutschland.
Just to review, why does sein have an -e ending here (seine Familie)?
Familie is a feminine noun (die Familie) and is the direct object being missed, which puts it in the accusative case. For feminine nouns in the accusative case, the possessive ending is -e.
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