Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös bin.

Inside I stay calm, although I am nervous.

Breakdown of Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös bin.

• sein: to be
• ich: I
• bleiben: to remain
• nervös: nervous
• ruhig: calm
• obwohl: although
• innerlich: inwardly

Questions & Answers about Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös bin.

What does "Innerlich" mean here, and what kind of word is it?

Innerlich literally means "internally / on the inside / inwardly".

In this sentence it functions as an adverb, describing how you remain calm: not necessarily on the outside, but inside.

So:

• Innerlich = inwardly / on the inside
• bleibe ich ruhig = I remain calm

Together: "Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig" → "Inwardly, I stay calm."

Why is it "bleibe ich ruhig" and not just "ich bin ruhig"?

Both are grammatically correct, but the meaning is slightly different:

• Ich bin ruhig = I am calm (a state, a description)
• Ich bleibe ruhig = I stay / remain calm (emphasizes continuing to be calm, not letting yourself get upset)

In this sentence, bleibe highlights that despite being nervous, the speaker keeps themselves calm internally. It suggests an ongoing effort or persistence, not just a neutral description of their current state.

Could I say "Ich bleibe innerlich ruhig" instead of "Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig"? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Ich bleibe innerlich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös bin.

Both versions are correct. The difference is mainly in emphasis:

• Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, …
  → Puts extra emphasis on "innerlich" (on the inside), because it’s at the start of the sentence.

• Ich bleibe innerlich ruhig, …
  → More neutral; focuses on "I stay calm", with innerlich just specifying how.

In spoken German, starting with Innerlich sounds a bit more stylistic or expressive.

Why is there a comma before "obwohl"?

In German, "obwohl" introduces a subordinate clause (Nebensatz).

Rule: A comma is mandatory before most subordinating conjunctions such as obwohl, weil, dass, wenn.

So:

• Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös bin.

The comma marks the boundary between:

• main clause: Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig
• subordinate clause: obwohl ich nervös bin

Why is the verb at the end in "obwohl ich nervös bin"?

Because "obwohl" is a subordinating conjunction (a subordinierende Konjunktion). In German, these conjunctions send the finite verb to the end of the clause.

So:

• Main clause word order: Ich bin nervös. (verb in 2nd position)
• Subordinate clause with obwohl: obwohl ich nervös bin (verb at the end)

You cannot say:
✗ obwohl ich bin nervös → this is wrong in standard German.

Can I put the "obwohl" clause at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. You can also say:

• Obwohl ich nervös bin, bleibe ich innerlich ruhig.

or

• Obwohl ich nervös bin, bleibe ich ruhig.

What changes:

1. The "obwohl" clause comes first, then a comma.
2. The main clause still has verb in second position:
   
   • Obwohl ich nervös bin, bleibe ich innerlich ruhig.
     → bleibe is in 2nd position in the main clause (after the whole subordinate clause).

What exactly does "obwohl" mean? Is it like "because"?

Obwohl means "although / even though", not "because".

• obwohl = although, even though (idea of contrast)
• weil = because (idea of reason / cause)

In this sentence:

• obwohl ich nervös bin = although I am nervous
  → The contrast: Internally I stay calm, even though I am nervous.

Could I use "trotzdem" instead of "obwohl"?

Yes, but the structure changes.

Original with obwohl:

• Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös bin.

With trotzdem (an adverb), you usually make two main clauses:

• Ich bin nervös, trotzdem bleibe ich innerlich ruhig.
  = I am nervous, nevertheless I stay calm inside.

So:

• obwohl → introduces a subordinate clause, verb goes to the end
• trotzdem → stands in the main clause (often in position 1 or 3), verb stays in 2nd place

Does "ruhig" mean "calm" or "quiet"? How is it used here?

Ruhig can mean both, depending on context:

1. Quiet (not loud):

   • Sei bitte ruhig! = Please be quiet!

2. Calm (not agitated):

   • Ich bleibe ruhig. = I stay calm.

In "Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig", the meaning is clearly "calm", not "silent". It refers to emotional or mental calmness, not to whether the person is speaking or making noise.

Is "nervös" used like English "nervous"?

Yes, nervös is very close to English "nervous", especially in everyday language:

• Ich bin nervös. = I am nervous.
• Ich bin nervös wegen der Prüfung. = I’m nervous about the exam.

It can mean:

• anxious, jittery before an event
• tense, on edge

In this sentence, "nervös" means the speaker feels nervous, but still manages to stay calm internally.

Why do we repeat "ich" in "obwohl ich nervös bin"? Could we leave it out?

You must repeat ich. In German, every finite verb in a clause needs a subject, unless it is one of the rare impersonal constructions.

So:

• Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös bin. ✅
• ✗ Innerlich bleibe ich ruhig, obwohl nervös bin. ❌ (incorrect)

Each clause:

• Main clause: (ich) bleibe → subject: ich
• Subordinate clause: (ich) bin → subject: ich

Even if the subject is the same person, German typically repeats it in each clause.

What tense is being used, and could I use a different one?

The sentence is in the present tense (Präsens):

• bleibe (1st person singular, present of bleiben)
• bin (1st person singular, present of sein)

You could change the tense if the context changes:

• Innerlich blieb ich ruhig, obwohl ich nervös war.
  → Inwardly, I stayed calm although I was nervous. (simple past)

• Innerlich werde ich ruhig bleiben, obwohl ich nervös sein werde.
  → Grammatically correct future, but sounds a bit stiff; in practice, Germans often still use present for future meaning if the context is clear.