Wir gehen spazieren, sofern es nicht regnet.

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Breakdown of Wir gehen spazieren, sofern es nicht regnet.

• nicht: not
• es: it
• regnen: to rain

Questions & Answers about Wir gehen spazieren, sofern es nicht regnet.

Can I replace sofern with wenn or falls here? Are they all just "if"?

Yes, but the nuance differs:

• wenn is the everyday, general "if/when" and fits almost everywhere.
• falls suggests a mere possibility ("in case"); it's common in spoken German.
• sofern means "provided that" and sounds a bit more formal or written. Your sentence works with all three; choose based on register and nuance.

Why is there a comma before sofern?

Because sofern introduces a subordinate clause. In German, every subordinate clause is set off by a comma from the main clause: Wir gehen spazieren, sofern es nicht regnet.

Why does the verb go to the end in sofern es nicht regnet?

Subordinating conjunctions like sofern send the finite verb to the end of the clause. Hence: … sofern es nicht regnet (verb-final), not … sofern es regnet nicht.

Why is it nicht regnet and not regnet nicht?

In a subordinate clause, the finite verb must appear at the end, and nicht precedes it: … es nicht regnet. Regnet nicht is fine in a main clause (Es regnet nicht.), but not after a subordinating conjunction.