Learn Hardcore German: Wenn ich die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe, wirklich umsetzen will, muss ich auch an schwierigen Tagen durchhalten. - If I really want to implement the goals that I have set for myself, I also have to persevere on difficult days.

A subordinate clause introduced by wenn (the “if/when” part):
- Wenn ich die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe, wirklich umsetzen will,
  Verb of the clause (the conjugated verb will) goes to the end because it’s a wenn-clause.
The main clause:
- muss ich auch an schwierigen Tagen durchhalten.
  In a main clause with normal word order, the finite verb must be in second position → muss.

So in abstract form:

Wenn + [subordinate clause with verb at the end], [main clause with verb in position 2].

Why is the verb will at the very end of the wenn-clause?

In German, subordinate clauses (Nebensätze) introduced by words like wenn, weil, dass, obwohl normally send the finite verb to the end of the clause.

Here, the finite verb is the modal will:

Wenn ich die Ziele … wirklich umsetzen will,
→ subject: ich
→ object: die Ziele
→ adverb: wirklich
→ full verb: umsetzen (infinitive)
→ finite verb: will at the very end

The same happens in the relative clause:

die ich mir festgelegt habe
→ finite verb habe is at the end because die introduces a relative clause.

In contrast, in the main clause you get Verb in 2nd position:

muss ich auch an schwierigen Tagen durchhalten.

What is the difference between wenn and als? Could I say Als ich die Ziele … umsetzen will?

No, als would be wrong here.

wenn is used for:
- repeated events in the past: Wenn ich Kind war, spielte ich draußen.
- present or future conditions: Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.
als is used for a single event in the past:
- Als ich nach Berlin zog, war ich 20.

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a general condition in the present/future:

Wenn ich die Ziele … wirklich umsetzen will, muss ich …
→ meaning: “If / whenever I want to implement these goals…”

So wenn is correct; als cannot be used for this kind of conditional.

Why is it die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe? What is the function of the second die?

The second die introduces a relative clause that gives more information about die Ziele:

die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe
= “the goals that I have set for myself”

Structure:

die Ziele → antecedent (plural, feminine/plural article form is die)
die → relative pronoun, also plural, referring back to die Ziele
ich mir festgelegt habe → relative clause describing those goals

You could think of it as:

die Ziele, die (ich mir festgelegt habe)
“the goals that (I have set for myself)”

Using welche instead of die is technically possible but sounds more formal or old‑fashioned here:

die Ziele, welche ich mir festgelegt habe (understood but less natural in everyday speech)

Why is it die ich mir festgelegt habe and not just die ich festgelegt habe? What does mir do?

mir is the dative reflexive pronoun here. With goals, plans, rules, etc., German often uses a structure like:

sich Ziele festlegen / sich Ziele setzen / sich etwas vornehmen

This means “to set goals for oneself”. The reflexive pronoun marks that the action is done for the subject’s own benefit.

ich → subject
mir → reflexive pronoun in dative (for ich)
festlegen → verb

So:

ich lege mir Ziele fest
= I set goals for myself.

In the relative clause, it’s in the perfect tense:

die ich mir festgelegt habe
literally: “which I have set for myself.”

Without mir, Ziele festlegen is still grammatical, but it sounds more like setting goals in a more abstract or external sense, not as personal self-imposed goals.

What’s the nuance of festlegen here? How is Ziele festlegen different from Ziele setzen or Vorsätze fassen?

All of these can relate to goals, but with slightly different flavors:

Ziele festlegen
- festlegen = to determine, to fix, to define clearly
- Ziele festlegen → “to define / fix goals (in a clear, concrete way)”
- often used in more structured, planning contexts (work, projects, study plans).
Ziele setzen (sich Ziele setzen)
- very common, means “to set goals (for oneself)”
- slightly more general, can be motivational, self‑help, etc.
Vorsätze fassen / gute Vorsätze haben
- more like “resolutions” (e.g. New Year’s resolutions)
- emphasizes the decision / intention to do something.

In the sentence, Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe suggests these are clearly defined, maybe concrete or planned goals, not just vague wishes.

Why is wirklich placed before umsetzen and not somewhere else, like wenn ich wirklich die Ziele … umsetzen will?

German word order for adverbs like wirklich is flexible, but where you place it changes what is being emphasized.

Wenn ich die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe, wirklich umsetzen will, …
- Neutral reading: “If I really want to implement these goals (as opposed to just saying I do).”
- wirklich is closest to umsetzen, so it focuses on the actual implementation.
Wenn ich wirklich die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe, umsetzen will, …
- Emphasizes wirklich die Ziele (these particular goals, not others).
Wenn ich die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe, umsetzen will, wirklich, …
- Sounds unnatural in standard German.

The given version is very natural and focuses on the sincerity/seriousness of wanting to put the goals into practice.

What exactly does durchhalten mean here? How is it different from weitermachen or aushalten?

durchhalten is a separable verb: durch + halten.

Meaning in this context:

to persevere, keep going without giving up, especially when it’s hard.

Comparison:

durchhalten
- focus on perseverance over time: “to stick it out, to endure and keep going.”
- good for goals, training, diets, difficult phases:
  - Beim Lernen musst du durchhalten.
weitermachen
- literally “to continue doing (something)”
- more neutral, less strong than durchhalten:
  - Mach weiter! = “Keep going!” (could be simple continuation, not necessarily hardship)
aushalten
- to endure/tolerate something unpleasant:
  - Ich halte den Lärm nicht aus. = “I can’t stand the noise.”
- focuses on tolerating rather than actively pushing through with a goal.

In the sentence, durchhalten is used because we’re talking about sticking with your goals even on difficult days.

Why is it an schwierigen Tagen and not something like bei schwierigen Tagen or just schwierige Tage?

Several points:

Preposition “an” with time expressions
- an
  - Dative is commonly used with days and dates:
    - an Montagen = on Mondays
    - an diesem Tag = on this day
- So an schwierigen Tagen = “on difficult days”.
Dative case
- an + Dativ (for time) → an schwierigen Tagen
- Tage (plural) → dative plural → Tagen, adjective gets -en: schwierigen.
Why not bei schwierigen Tagen?
- bei
  - Dativ often means “in the context of / in the case of / at someone’s place”.
- bei schwierigen Tagen sounds odd; bei schwierigen Situationen would be fine.
- For calendar-type days, an is the natural preposition.
Why not just schwierige Tage?
- You could say auch schwierige Tage durchhalten, but that would mean “to get through difficult days” as objects.
- an schwierigen Tagen durchhalten emphasizes persevering on those days, not “enduring the days” themselves as objects.

What does auch do in muss ich auch an schwierigen Tagen durchhalten? What is being emphasized?

auch here means “also / even / as well” in a concessive sense.

It implies:

It’s not enough to persevere only on easy days;
I must also / even persevere on the difficult days.

The position of auch is important for emphasis:

muss ich auch an schwierigen Tagen durchhalten.
- Natural, neutral stress on the idea that perseverance must also apply to difficult days.
muss ich an schwierigen Tagen auch durchhalten.
- Slightly different nuance: suggests that durchhalten is something I do in other contexts too, and “also on difficult days”.

Here, auch an schwierigen Tagen bundles auch with the time phrase, highlighting those difficult days as an extra, demanding condition.

How do the modal verb will and muss work together in this sentence?

Each clause has its own finite modal verb:

In the wenn-clause:
- Wenn ich … umsetzen will,
- will = wollen (to want); expresses intention/desire:
  - “If I want to put the goals into practice…”
In the main clause:
- muss ich auch an schwierigen Tagen durchhalten.
- muss = müssen (must, have to); expresses necessity/obligation:
  - “…I must persevere even on difficult days.”

So the logic is:

If X is my serious intention (will), then Y is a necessity (muss).
“If I really want this, then I have to do that.”

Note that will here is not a future tense marker like English “will”; it truly means “want(s) to”.

Why are there commas in die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe, wirklich umsetzen will? Where do the comma rules come from?

The commas follow these standard German rules:

Comma before and after a relative clause
- die Ziele, die ich mir festgelegt habe, …
- die ich mir festgelegt habe is a relative clause describing die Ziele.
- Relative clauses are always set off by commas on both sides (unless they end the sentence).
Comma between subordinate and main clause
- Wenn ich … will, muss ich …
- The wenn-clause is a subordinate clause; the muss ich … part is the main clause.
- German requires a comma between them.

In simpler terms:

Relative clauses → commas around them.
Subordinate clause before main clause → comma between them.

So the commas are purely grammatical markers for clause boundaries, not optional stylistic commas.