Breakdown of Der Geologe fotografiert, selbst wenn die Lava ins Meer strömt.
in
in
fotografieren
to photograph
das Meer
the sea
der Geologe
the geologist
selbst wenn
even if
die Lava
the lava
strömen
to stream
Questions & Answers about Der Geologe fotografiert, selbst wenn die Lava ins Meer strömt.
How does selbst wenn affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?
The phrase selbst wenn works as a subordinating conjunction. This means it forces the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. That is why the verb strömt sits at the end of the sentence, rather than right after the subject die Lava.
Why is it ins Meer instead of im Meer here?
The verb strömen (to stream or flow) describes movement directed toward a destination, so the two-way preposition in must take the accusative case. The word ins is just a contraction of in das. If the lava were simply bubbling around while already entirely inside the water, you would use the dative form im Meer.
Does the -e ending on Geologe mean it is plural?
No, der Geologe is singular. It is part of a group of masculine words known as n-nouns (or weak nouns). These nouns often end in -e and add an -n in every case except the nominative singular. Because the geologist is the subject of this sentence, it is in the nominative case and keeps its base form.
Is the comma before selbst wenn strictly necessary?
Yes. In German, subordinate clauses must always be separated from the main clause by a comma. Because selbst wenn introduces a subordinate clause, the comma before it is mandatory, unlike in English where 'even if' doesn't always need one.
Learn Der Geologe fotografiert, selbst wenn die Lava ins Meer strömt 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