Word
Er gießt das Wasser in die Schüssel, obwohl ich ihm einen Löffel Reis anbiete.
Meaning
He pours the water into the bowl although I offer him a spoonful of rice.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Er gießt das Wasser in die Schüssel, obwohl ich ihm einen Löffel Reis anbiete.
in
in
das Wasser
the water
ich
I
er
he
anbieten
to offer
obwohl
although
ihm
him
die Schüssel
the bowl
der Reis
the rice
der Löffel
the spoon
gießen
to pour
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Questions & Answers about Er gießt das Wasser in die Schüssel, obwohl ich ihm einen Löffel Reis anbiete.
Why is the verb gießt in second position in the first clause?
German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb appears as the second constituent. In Er gießt das Wasser in die Schüssel, Er is the first element, so gießt takes the second slot.
Why does the verb anbiete come at the end of the clause introduced by obwohl?
Obwohl is a subordinating conjunction (“although”), and in German subordinate clauses the finite verb must move to the final position. Hence ich ihm einen Löffel Reis anbiete.
Why is it ihm and not ihn, and why is einen Löffel Reis accusative?
The verb anbieten takes a dative object for the person receiving something (here ihm) and an accusative object for the thing offered (here einen Löffel Reis).
Why is the prepositional phrase in die Schüssel accusative rather than dative?
The preposition in can govern either dative (location) or accusative (direction/movement). Since the water is being poured into (movement toward) the bowl, we use the accusative: in die Schüssel.
Why is there no article before Reis in einen Löffel Reis?
Reis is a mass noun, and when you specify a quantity with a measure word like Löffel, you typically omit an additional article: einen Löffel Reis, zwei Tassen Kaffee, drei Scheiben Brot.
Why is there a comma before obwohl?
In German, subordinate clauses are always separated from the main clause by a comma, regardless of the conjunction introducing them.
Can I place the obwohl‑clause before the main clause? If so, what changes?
Yes. You can say Obwohl ich ihm einen Löffel Reis anbiete, gießt er das Wasser in die Schüssel. You still separate with a comma, and the main clause resumes with the finite verb in second position immediately after the comma.
What is the difference between gießen and einschenken when talking about pouring?
Gießen is the general verb for pouring liquids (e.g., water into a plant or container), while einschenken is often used for serving drinks into glasses or cups. In this context, pouring water into a bowl uses gießen.