Breakdown of Während der Konkurrent aggressiv sein mag, ist unsere Taktik innovativ.
sein
to be
unser
our
während
while
mögen
may (concessive)
der Konkurrent
the competitor
innovativ
innovative
die Taktik
the tactic
aggressiv
aggressive
Questions & Answers about Während der Konkurrent aggressiv sein mag, ist unsere Taktik innovativ.
Why is mag used here instead of kann or könnte if it means "may"?
While mögen usually means "to like," it has a special subjective use to express concession (admitting a point). When you say aggressiv sein mag, you are saying "may well be aggressive" or "I grant that they are aggressive." It sets up a contrast, which is resolved in the second half of the sentence.
Why does the first clause end with sein mag and not mag sein?
The word während (while) is a subordinating conjunction, which forces the conjugated verb to the very end of the clause. Since mag is the conjugated verb, it must come after the infinitive sein.
Is während being used to talk about time here?
No. Although während often means "while" or "during" in a temporal sense, here it is used adversatively to show a contrast between two statements. It works exactly like "while" or "whereas" in English when comparing two different things.
Why does the second clause start with ist instead of unsere Taktik?
This is the standard "verb-second" rule. The entire subordinate clause before the comma counts as the first block of information (Position 1). To keep the main verb in Position 2, ist must immediately follow the comma.
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