Breakdown of Du magst einen Vorteil haben, aber du darfst den Marktführer nie unterschätzen.
ein
a, an (eine)
du
you (informal singular)
haben
to have
aber
but
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
nie
never
mögen
may (concessive)
der Vorteil
the advantage
der Marktführer
the market leader
unterschätzen
to underestimate
Questions & Answers about Du magst einen Vorteil haben, aber du darfst den Marktführer nie unterschätzen.
Wait, doesn't magst usually mean 'like'? How does it mean 'may' here?
This is the subjective use of mögen. While you usually use it to say you like something, here it expresses a concession. By saying Du magst einen Vorteil haben, you are admitting a point: 'It may be true that you have an advantage' or 'You might have an advantage'. This structure is almost always followed by an aber clause to introduce a counter-argument.
How else could I express this concession in German without using mögen?
You could use a subordinating conjunction like obwohl (although) or auch wenn (even if). For example: Auch wenn du einen Vorteil hast, darfst du den Marktführer nie unterschätzen (Even if you have an advantage...). Using magst is simply a stylish, rhetorical alternative that makes the argument flow nicely.
Why is darfst ... nie translated as 'must never' instead of 'may never'?
This is a classic trap to watch out for! The verb dürfen means 'to be allowed to'. When you negate it with nicht or nie, it strictly means 'not allowed to' or 'must not / must never'. If you used musst ... nie instead, it would mean you 'never have to' do it, which completely changes the meaning of the sentence.
I see unterschätzen is at the end. Is unter- a separable prefix here?
No, unterschätzen (to underestimate) is an inseparable verb. Here it is in its infinitive form at the end of the sentence anyway because of the modal verb darfst. However, even if you used it in a normal main clause without a modal verb, the prefix would stay attached: Du unterschätzt ihn (You underestimate him).
Learn Du magst einen Vorteil haben, aber du darfst den Marktführer nie unterschätzen 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