Breakdown of Hier wird oft diskutiert, wobei dieser Kompromiss keinen Nachteil hat.
hier
here
oft
often
haben
to have
kein
no, not any
Questions & Answers about Hier wird oft diskutiert, wobei dieser Kompromiss keinen Nachteil hat.
How does wobei function in this sentence?
In this context, wobei is a restrictive relative connector used to add a qualifying thought or a condition to the main clause. It translates roughly to "recognizing that," "mind you," or "whereby." Because it acts as a subordinating conjunction here, it pushes the conjugated verb (hat) to the very end of the clause.
Could I just use aber instead of wobei to mean "but"?
You could, but the nuance and the grammar would change. aber creates a direct contrast and keeps the normal word order (..., aber dieser Kompromiss hat keinen Nachteil). wobei is softer and more analytical, introducing an accompanying circumstance or a limitation rather than a direct contradiction.
Why is there no subject like "people" or "we" in Hier wird oft diskutiert?
This is an impersonal passive. In German, you can form a passive sentence without a specific subject to express that an action simply happens generally (literally: "Here is often discussed"). If this sentence started with the dummy subject es, it would be Es wird hier oft diskutiert. However, because the adverb hier occupies the first position, the dummy es is dropped.
Why is it keinen Nachteil instead of just kein Nachteil?