Breakdown of So hoch die Gischt auch peitscht, das Licht brennt weiter.
auch
also, too
brennen
to burn
so
so, such (intensifier)
hoch
high
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Licht
the light
weiter
further, on (continuing)
die Gischt
the sea spray
peitschen
to whip
Questions & Answers about So hoch die Gischt auch peitscht, das Licht brennt weiter.
How does the phrase so hoch ... auch translate to 'however high'?
In German, you can form a concessive clause (a clause showing contrast or a yielding condition) by putting an adjective or adverb between so and auch. Here, so hoch ... auch means 'no matter how high' or 'however high'. The word auch is mandatory for this specific grammatical structure.
Why is peitscht at the very end of the first half of the sentence?
The so ... auch structure creates a subordinate clause. Just like with dass or weil, this forces the conjugated verb (peitscht) to the very end of that clause.
Why does the main clause start with das Licht instead of the verb brennt? I thought a starting sub-clause pushes the main verb to the front.
You are absolutely right to expect verb-first word order here! However, concessive clauses built with so ... auch are often treated as grammatically independent from the main sentence. Because of this, the main clause is allowed to keep its normal subject-verb order (das Licht brennt). You could also invert it (..., brennt das Licht weiter), but the non-inverted order used here is extremely common.
What does weiter add to the verb brennt?
It comes from the separable verb weiterbrennen. Adding the prefix weiter- to a verb is the standard German way to express that an action keeps happening or continues, translating perfectly to 'keeps burning' or 'continues to burn' in English.
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