Breakdown of Der Tornado ist klein. Gleichwohl ist er gefährlich.
sein
to be
er
he
klein
small
gefährlich
dangerous
gleichwohl
nevertheless (formal)
der Tornado
the tornado
Questions & Answers about Der Tornado ist klein. Gleichwohl ist er gefährlich.
Why does ist come immediately after gleichwohl?
gleichwohl is an adverbial connector (meaning "nevertheless"). When you start a clause with an adverb, it takes up Position 1. Because German requires the conjugated verb to be in Position 2, ist must come next, pushing the subject er to Position 3. You see the exact same word order with trotzdem.
How does gleichwohl differ from trotzdem?
In meaning and grammar, they are practically identical here. However, gleichwohl is an elevated, formal synonym. You will mostly encounter it in advanced written German, literature, or formal speeches. In everyday conversation, people usually stick to trotzdem or dennoch.
Could I put gleichwohl later in the sentence?
Yes! Because it acts as an adverb, its placement is flexible. You could write Er ist gleichwohl gefährlich. The meaning remains exactly the same, but placing it at the very beginning of the sentence makes the contrast a little more emphatic.
Can I combine these two sentences into one with a comma?
Yes, you can write: Der Tornado ist klein, gleichwohl ist er gefährlich. Just remember that gleichwohl does not act like the conjunction aber (which takes up Position 0 and leaves the word order alone). Because gleichwohl is an adverb taking Position 1, the verb-second rule still applies after the comma, keeping the verb ist right in front of the subject er.
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