Breakdown of Der Rivale mag stark sein, aber wir haben einen Vorteil.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
haben
to have
aber
but
wir
we
stark
strong
der Rivale
the rival
mögen
may (concessive)
der Vorteil
the advantage
Questions & Answers about Der Rivale mag stark sein, aber wir haben einen Vorteil.
Wait, doesn't mögen usually mean 'to like'? Why does it mean 'may' here?
While mögen is most commonly taught early on as 'to like', it has a secondary, subjective use to express concession. In the phrase mag stark sein, it means 'may be strong'. It is used to grant a point before introducing a counter-argument, which is almost always followed by aber (but).
Could I just use kann instead of mag for 'may be'?
Not quite. If you say Der Rivale kann stark sein, it simply states a factual possibility ('The rival is capable of being strong'). Using mag specifically signals a concession. It functions exactly like the English structure 'He may be strong, but...' to deliberately set up a contrast.
Why is the indicative mag used here instead of the subjunctive möge?
When expressing concession ('may be... but'), German uses the regular present tense (indicative) form mag. The Subjunctive I form möge is reserved almost entirely for expressing wishes, hopes, or indirect speech, such as Möge der Bessere gewinnen (May the better man win).
Why doesn't the verb haben move to the end of the sentence after aber?
Aber is a coordinating conjunction (often remembered by the acronym ADUSO: aber, denn, und, sondern, oder). These conjunctions occupy 'position 0' in a clause, meaning they don't trigger the verb-to-the-end rule. After aber, the subject wir takes position 1, and the conjugated verb haben stays in its normal position 2.
Why is it einen Vorteil instead of just ein Vorteil?
The word for advantage is masculine (der Vorteil). Since it is the direct object of the verb haben (we have the advantage), it must take the accusative case, changing the article ein to einen.
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