Breakdown of Ein gutes Gespräch hilft einem sehr, trotzdem ist es manchmal anstrengend.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
es
it
sehr
very
gut
good / well
manchmal
sometimes
helfen
to help
man
one / you (impersonal)
das Gespräch
the conversation
anstrengend
exhausting
trotzdem
nevertheless
Questions & Answers about Ein gutes Gespräch hilft einem sehr, trotzdem ist es manchmal anstrengend.
Why do we use einem here instead of man?
The word man (meaning "one" or "you" in general) can only be used as the subject of a sentence (nominative). Because the verb helfen always requires its object to be in the dative case, we must use the dative form of man, which is einem.
Doesn't einem usually mean "a" or "an" in the dative case? How do I tell it apart from this new pronoun?
You can tell by looking at what follows it! If einem were the article "a", it would need a dative noun right after it (like einem Freund). When it stands completely alone as the object of the verb, as it does here, it is the pronoun meaning "one" or "you".
Why is the verb ist placed directly after trotzdem?
The word trotzdem (nevertheless) is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction like und or aber. When you start a clause with an adverb, it takes up the first position. Because German main clauses require the verb in the second position, ist must come immediately after trotzdem.
Why does the adjective have an -es ending in ein gutes Gespräch?
Gespräch is a neuter noun (das Gespräch), and here it is the subject of the sentence (nominative case). After the plain indefinite article ein, the adjective must take the strong ending -es to clearly show the neuter gender.
Learn Ein gutes Gespräch hilft einem sehr, trotzdem ist es manchmal anstrengend and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free