Wir treffen uns im Hof, sofern es nicht regnet.

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Breakdown of Wir treffen uns im Hof, sofern es nicht regnet.

• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• wir: we
• nicht: not

Questions & Answers about Wir treffen uns im Hof, sofern es nicht regnet.

What does the conjunction sofern mean here?

It means provided (that) or as long as. The sentence says the meeting in the courtyard will take place only under the condition that it doesn’t rain. In English you could paraphrase it as: “We’ll meet in the courtyard, provided it doesn’t rain.”

How does sofern compare to wenn, falls, and es sei denn?

• sofern = “provided that,” slightly formal/restrictive: Wir treffen uns im Hof, sofern es nicht regnet.
• wenn = neutral “if/when”: Wir treffen uns im Hof, wenn es nicht regnet. (Same meaning here.)
• falls = “in case/if,” often used for possible scenarios: Wir treffen uns im Hof, falls es nicht regnet.
• es sei denn = “unless,” introduces an exception and is structured differently: Wir treffen uns im Hof, es sei denn, es regnet.
  Note: sofern (nicht) and es sei denn can be truth-conditionally equivalent in many contexts, but you cannot swap them word-for-word; the structure changes.

Why is the verb at the end in sofern es nicht regnet?

Because sofern introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses the finite verb goes to the end: … sofern es nicht regnet. In a main clause you’d say: Es regnet nicht.

Is the comma before sofern required?