Word
Der Rivale mag stark sein, aber wir haben einen Vorteil.
Meaning
The rival may be strong, but we have an advantage.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Der Rivale mag stark sein, aber wir haben einen Vorteil.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
haben
to have
aber
but
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?