Learn Hardcore German: Ich habe auch ein sauberes Handtuch gekauft, falls wir zum See fahren. - I have also bought a clean towel in case we go to the lake.

falls translates to in case and introduces an uncertain, one-time condition. You buy the towel to be prepared if the lake trip actually happens.
wenn, on the other hand, also means if, but it’s more common for habitual or repeated conditions (e.g. Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zuhause. = “If it rains [generally], I stay home.”).

Why is there a comma before falls?

In German, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like falls must be separated from the main clause by a comma: Ich habe … gekauft, falls wir zum See fahren.

Why is fahren at the end of the subordinate clause falls wir zum See fahren?

German subordinate clauses follow the verb-final rule. Any clause introduced by words such as falls, weil, dass etc. pushes the conjugated verb to the very end.

Why do we use zum here, and which case does See take?

zum is the contraction of zu + dem. The preposition zu always governs the dative case.
– dem See (dative) → zum See

Why is it ein sauberes Handtuch and not ein sauberer Handtuch?

Handtuch is a neuter noun and the direct object (accusative). After the indefinite article ein, German uses the mixed adjective declension. Because ein doesn’t show gender or case for neuter, the adjective must take -es in accusative neuter:
– ein (–) + sauberes (–es) + Handtuch

Why do we say Ich habe gekauft instead of a simple past tense, and why is gekauft at the end?

In spoken German, the Perfekt (haben + past participle) is more common than the written Präteritum for past events.
– The finite verb habe sits in second position in a main clause.
– The past participle gekauft goes to the very end of the clause.

What’s the function of auch in Ich habe auch ein sauberes Handtuch gekauft, and where can it appear?

auch means also or too, indicating you added this purchase to others. It’s an adverb and typically resides in the “middle field” of a German main clause, often right after the finite verb or directly before the element it modifies.

Why is the present tense fahren used in the subordinate clause when we’re talking about a future possibility?

German commonly uses the present tense to express future actions. So falls wir zum See fahren literally means if we go to the lake [in the future] without needing an auxiliary like werden.

Could I say Ich habe auch ein sauberes Handtuch gekauft, falls wir an den See fahren? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can.
– an den See (an + accusative) emphasizes movement right up to the water’s edge.
– zum See (zu + dative) is a more general “to the lake.”
Both are correct and often interchangeable in everyday speech.