Breakdown of Was auch immer passiert, wir ziehen morgen los.
auch
also, too
wir
we
immer
always
was
what
morgen
tomorrow
passieren
to happen
losziehen
to set out
Questions & Answers about Was auch immer passiert, wir ziehen morgen los.
How does was auch immer create the meaning of "whatever" here?
The phrase was auch immer literally translates to "what also always", but together it forms a generalizing relative pronoun meaning "whatever". In this sentence, it sets up a condition that applies no matter what the unknown future event might be.
Why is the word order wir ziehen instead of ziehen wir after the comma? Doesn't the first clause push the verb to the front?
That is a great observation! Normally, a dependent clause in the first position forces the main clause to start with its verb. However, free relative clauses starting with was auch immer are often treated as independent phrases outside the core sentence structure. Because of this, the main clause simply uses the standard subject-verb order (wir ziehen). Saying ziehen wir would also be grammatically correct, but keeping the standard word order is very common with these phrases.
What is the base verb for ziehen ... los?
The infinitive is losziehen, a separable verb that means "to set out", "to set off", or "to head off". Because this is a main clause in the present tense, the prefix los separates and moves to the very end of the sentence.
Why does the German sentence use the present tense wir ziehen for an action happening tomorrow?
In German, it is extremely common to use the present tense to talk about the future, provided there is a time marker that makes the context clear. Here, the word morgen (tomorrow) tells us when the action happens, making the formal future tense with werden completely unnecessary.
Learn Was auch immer passiert, wir ziehen morgen los 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