Learn Hardcore German: Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre, gewinne ich mit der Zeit mehr Selbstbewusstsein und Gelassenheit. - When I listen to my coach, I gradually gain more self-confidence and calmness.

Subordinate clause: Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre → verb at the end (höre).
Main clause: gewinne ich mit der Zeit … → verb in second position (gewinne).

So the structure is:
Wenn + subject (ich) + other elements (auf meinen Coach) + verb at the end (höre).

Can I put the wenn‑clause after the main clause instead?

Yes. You can also say:

Ich gewinne mit der Zeit mehr Selbstbewusstsein und Gelassenheit, wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre.

Meaning and grammar are the same. The difference is only in emphasis and rhythm:

Starting with Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre, … emphasizes the condition.
Starting with Ich gewinne …, wenn ich … emphasizes the result.

In both cases, the wenn‑clause keeps the verb at the end.

Why is it auf meinen Coach hören and not just meinen Coach hören?

Auf jemanden hören is a fixed expression in German meaning to listen to someone in the sense of following their advice, obeying them, taking their guidance seriously.

auf meinen Coach hören = to follow my coach’s advice / to heed my coach.
meinen Coach hören would literally mean to hear my coach, i.e. perceive the sound, and is not idiomatic in this context.

So the preposition auf is essential to get the meaning to heed, to follow advice.

Why is it meinen Coach and not meinem Coach?

Because in the expression auf jemanden hören, the preposition auf is used with the accusative case.

Masculine singular accusative of der Coach is den Coach.
With the possessive mein, the masculine accusative form is meinen Coach.

So:

Ich höre auf meinen Coach. (accusative)
Not: Ich höre auf meinem Coach. (that would be dative and wrong here)

The pattern is: auf + accusative + hören when it means to heed someone.

What is the difference between auf jemanden hören and jemandem zuhören?

They describe two different kinds of “listening”:

jemandem zuhören = to listen to someone attentively, with your ears, pay attention to what they say.
- Ich höre meinem Coach zu. = I listen to my coach (I’m paying attention while he talks).
auf jemanden hören = to follow someone’s advice, do what they recommend, obey them.
- Ich höre auf meinen Coach. = I follow my coach’s advice; I do what he tells me.

In your sentence, the meaning is about following the coach’s guidance, so auf meinen Coach hören is the correct choice.

Why is the present tense (höre, gewinne) used when the effect is in the future?

German often uses the present tense for future meanings, especially when the context makes the time clear. The phrase mit der Zeit (over time) already implies a gradual development in the future.

So:

Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre, gewinne ich mit der Zeit …

means something like:

If I listen to my coach, I will gradually gain …

Using the future tense (werde gewinnen) would also be possible but sounds heavier and is usually not needed here.

What exactly does mit der Zeit mean, and why is der in the dative?

Mit der Zeit literally means with time and is used idiomatically as over time / gradually / as time goes by.

Grammatically:

mit always takes the dative case.
die Zeit (feminine singular, nominative) becomes der Zeit in the dative.
So: mit der Zeit = with (the) time → over time.

The phrase describes a slow, step‑by‑step development rather than something immediate.

Why is there no article in mehr Selbstbewusstsein und Gelassenheit?

Because Selbstbewusstsein (self‑confidence) and Gelassenheit (calmness, composure) are abstract, uncountable nouns here. When you quantify such nouns with mehr, you typically do not use an article:

mehr Selbstbewusstsein = more self‑confidence
mehr Gelassenheit = more calmness

Using an article would sound strange in this context:

✗ mehr das Selbstbewusstsein – ungrammatical here
✓ mehr Selbstbewusstsein

German treats many abstract qualities like mass nouns: you can increase or decrease them without needing an article.

Why is gewinnen used with Selbstbewusstsein? Could I also use bekommen?

Selbstbewusstsein gewinnen is a common collocation in German. It means to gain self‑confidence in the sense of developing it through experience or effort.

Ich gewinne Selbstbewusstsein. = I’m becoming more self‑confident / I’m gaining self‑confidence.

You can say Selbstbewusstsein bekommen, and people will understand you, but it sounds less natural and less idiomatic in this context. gewinnen suggests a gradual, somewhat “earned” increase, which fits nicely with mit der Zeit.

What exactly does Gelassenheit mean here, and how is it different from words like Ruhe or Entspannung?

Gelassenheit is a calm, composed inner state – the ability to stay relaxed and not get upset or stressed easily.

Gelassenheit = composure, serenity, equanimity.
Ruhe = quietness, stillness, or rest; can be external (no noise) or internal.
Entspannung = relaxation, the state of being relaxed, often after stress.

In this sentence, Gelassenheit suggests a stable inner calmness and emotional balance that you develop over time by listening to your coach.

Is Coach really a German word, and what gender does it have?

Yes, Coach is a common loanword in modern German. It usually refers to:

a personal coach (life coach, business coach, mental coach, etc.)
sometimes a sports coach (though Trainer is more common in sports).

The usual gender is masculine:

der Coach – nominative
den Coach – accusative
meinen Coach – masculine accusative with mein

There is also die Coachin for a female coach, but many speakers just say der Coach and then clarify the person’s gender in another way if needed.

Why do we use wenn and not als here?

wenn and als are both translated as when, but they are used differently:

wenn is used for:
- repeated events (every time when …)
- general conditions (if / whenever …)
- future conditions (if … in the future)
als is used for:
- a single event in the past (one specific time)

Your sentence describes a general conditional relationship, not one single past event, so wenn is correct:

Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre, gewinne ich …
= If / whenever I listen to my coach, I gain …

If you talked about one specific past situation, you would use als, but that would be a different meaning.

Can I add dann in the main clause, as in …, dann gewinne ich …?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and quite natural:

Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre, dann gewinne ich mit der Zeit mehr Selbstbewusstsein und Gelassenheit.

Here, dann (then) emphasizes the consequence. It does not change the word order of the main clause: the conjugated verb still has to be in the second position:

dann gewinne ich … (not dann ich gewinne …)

Both versions, with and without dann, are correct:

Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre, gewinne ich …
Wenn ich auf meinen Coach höre, dann gewinne ich …