Learn Hardcore German: Der Tourist sagte, dass er seinen Reiseführer verlor, aber jede Sehenswürdigkeit trotzdem fand. - The tourist said that he lost his guidebook but still found every sight.

In German, dass (with double ‘s’) is a subordinating conjunction meaning “that.” It introduces a subordinate clause and sends its finite verb to the end. das (one ‘s’) is either a definite article (“the”) or a relative/demonstrative pronoun (“that”). Since this sentence needs “that he lost his guide,” you must use dass.

Why does the verb verlor appear at the very end of dass er seinen Reiseführer verlor?

Because dass creates a subordinate clause. In subordinate clauses, German word order places the finite verb in the final position. That’s why you see verlor at the end instead of right after the subject as in main clauses.

Why is seinen Reiseführer in the accusative case, and why seinen instead of sein?

Reiseführer is the direct object of the verb verlor (“lost his guide”), so it must be in the accusative case. The masculine singular accusative form of the possessive pronoun sein (“his”) is seinen, hence seinen Reiseführer.

Why are both verlor and fand in the simple past (Präteritum) instead of the present perfect (Perfekt)?

In written or formal German—especially in narrative or reported speech introduced by verbs like sagte, dass—the simple past (Präteritum) is commonly used. Here, since the tourist is recounting past events, verlor and fand appear in Präteritum. In everyday spoken German you would more often hear hat verloren and hat gefunden.

Why is there a comma before aber, even though aber is a coordinating conjunction?

When aber connects two main clauses, you normally don’t use a comma if it’s purely coordinating. However, in our sentence aber connects two parts within the subordinate clause introduced by dass. Coordinate clauses always require a comma between them—so you write …, dass er X verlor, aber Y fand.

What does trotzdem mean and why is it placed just before fand?

trotzdem means “nevertheless” or “despite that.” It signals a contrast: even though he lost his guide, he still found every sight. In subordinate clauses the finite verb sits at the end, and adverbs like trotzdem typically occupy the mid-field just before the verb. Since jede Sehenswürdigkeit is fronted, trotzdem naturally comes next, right before fand.

Why is it jede Sehenswürdigkeit (singular with jede) instead of alle Sehenswürdigkeiten (plural)?

Using jede Sehenswürdigkeit (“each sight”) emphasizes that the tourist managed to find every single attraction one by one. If you said alle Sehenswürdigkeiten, it would mean “all the sights” collectively, which is a broader statement.

Can the subject pronoun er be omitted in the second clause aber jede Sehenswürdigkeit trotzdem fand?

Yes. In colloquial German, you can drop er here because it’s perfectly clear from context that the tourist remains the subject. This kind of ellipsis avoids unnecessary repetition. In more formal or precise writing you would include er:
…, dass er seinen Reiseführer verlor, aber er jede Sehenswürdigkeit trotzdem fand.

How would the word order change if the second part were a separate main clause instead of part of the dass-clause?

If you split it into its own main clause, the finite verb must move to the second position:
Der Tourist sagte, dass er seinen Reiseführer verlor.
Aber er fand jede Sehenswürdigkeit trotzdem.
Here fand follows aber (position 2), and you re-insert the subject er.