Breakdown of Das Lagerfeuer findet statt, je nachdem, wann das Turnier endet.
wann
when
stattfinden
to take place
enden
to end
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
je nachdem
depending on
das Turnier
the tournament
das Lagerfeuer
the campfire
Questions & Answers about Das Lagerfeuer findet statt, je nachdem, wann das Turnier endet.
How does je nachdem affect the sentence structure here?
je nachdem means "depending on" and introduces a condition. It is often followed by an indirect question, like the one starting with wann (when). Because the wann clause is a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb (endet) is pushed to the very end of the sentence.
How would the sentence change if we used ob instead of wann?
Using ob means "whether." If you wrote ... je nachdem, ob das Turnier endet, it would mean "depending on whether the tournament ends." Just like with wann, ob introduces a subordinate clause, so the verb endet would still go at the very end.
Why do we use wann here instead of wenn?
English uses "when" for both time and conditions, but German distinguishes them. wann is a question word meaning "at what time." Because je nachdem sets up an indirect question ("depending on at what time"), we must use wann. wenn means "if" or "whenever" and cannot be used to form a question.
Why is statt separated and placed right before the first comma?
It comes from the separable verb stattfinden (to take place). In the main clause (Das Lagerfeuer findet statt), the conjugated verb (findet) takes the second position, and the separable prefix (statt) gets kicked to the end of that specific clause, right before the comma.
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