Breakdown of Wo auch immer wir trampen, begegnen wir Freunden.
auch
also, too
wir
we
der Freund
the friend
immer
always
wo
where
begegnen
to encounter
trampen
to hitchhike
Questions & Answers about Wo auch immer wir trampen, begegnen wir Freunden.
How exactly does wo auch immer work to mean wherever?
By adding auch immer (literally also always) to a question word like wo, you create a generalizing phrase. Just like adding the suffix -ever in English, wo auch immer turns wo (where) into wherever, showing that the specific location doesn't matter.
Could I split up wo auch immer in this sentence?
Yes, the auch immer part is quite flexible. You can keep it together right after the question word, as it is here, or place it later in the clause. For example, you could also naturally say: Wo wir auch immer trampen, begegnen wir Freunden.
Why is the word order begegnen wir instead of wir begegnen in the second part of the sentence?
The entire first clause (Wo auch immer wir trampen) takes up the first position of the main sentence. Because German requires the conjugated verb to be in the second position, the verb begegnen must come immediately after the comma, followed by the subject wir.
Why is there an -en at the end of Freunden? Shouldn't the plural just be Freunde?
The verb begegnen (to encounter) requires its object to be in the dative case. In the dative plural, nouns almost always add an extra -n to their plural form, which changes Freunde into Freunden.
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