Breakdown of Wir haben das Brot ohne Zucker gebacken, und es schmeckt trotzdem süß.
und
and
das Brot
the bread
wir
we
haben
to have
es
it
schmecken
to taste
backen
to bake
ohne
without
süß
sweet
der Zucker
the sugar
trotzdem
still
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Questions & Answers about Wir haben das Brot ohne Zucker gebacken, und es schmeckt trotzdem süß.
Why is haben gebacken used here? What tense is that?
It’s the Perfekt (present perfect) in German, formed with haben + past participle gebacken. In spoken and informal German, the Perfekt is used instead of the Präteritum to talk about past events: “We baked the bread.” The simple past (Präteritum) of backen is buk (wir bukten), but that’s rare in everyday speech.
Why is there no article before Zucker in ohne Zucker?
Zucker is an uncountable (mass) noun, and with the preposition ohne (without), you often omit the article when speaking generally: “without sugar.” Grammatically, ohne requires the accusative case, but you can drop the article for indefinite amounts: ohne Zucker = “without sugar.”
Why does ohne Zucker come before the verb phrase?
In German main clauses, the finite verb appears in second position. Here, Wir (subject) is first, haben (finite verb) is second, and the rest of the verb phrase—including the prepositional phrase ohne Zucker and the past participle gebacken—fills the middle field. Prepositional phrases like ohne Zucker typically sit before the participle.
Why is there a comma before und in this sentence?
German generally doesn’t require a comma before und when connecting two main clauses, but you can use one to signal a stronger pause or for clarity. Modern usage allows it optionally here: “…, und es schmeckt …”.
What does trotzdem mean, and why is it placed before süß?
Trotzdem means “nevertheless” or “even so.” It’s a modal adverb that typically sits in the mid-field between the verb (schmeckt) and its complement (süß). So es schmeckt trotzdem süß = “it still tastes sweet nonetheless.”
Why is the second verb schmeckt in the present tense?
The speaker describes the current taste of the bread. Even though the baking happened in the past, the taste is an ongoing, present condition, so you use schmeckt (present of schmecken) = “tastes.”
Why not say es ist süß instead of es schmeckt süß?
In English we might say “it is sweet,” but in German you use schmecken to talk about taste sensations. Es schmeckt süß literally “it tastes sweet.” Saying es ist süß is possible but focuses on the bread’s inherent sweetness, not the sensory impression.
Why isn’t süß inflected here?
When an adjective follows a linking verb or schmecken, it stands in the predicative position and remains uninflected. You only inflect adjectives in attributive positions (e.g., das süße Brot). Here, süß stays in its base form: es schmeckt süß.