Learn Hardcore German: Jedes Zwischenziel macht mir Mut, auch wenn der Weg noch lang ist. - Each intermediate goal gives me courage, even when the way is still long.

Zwischenziel has the article das (it’s neuter).
In the sentence, Jedes Zwischenziel is the subject in the nominative singular.
Nominative singular forms of jed- are:
- jeder (masc.) – jeder Tisch
- jede (fem.) – jede Lampe
- jedes (neut.) – jedes Zwischenziel

So it must be jedes Zwischenziel because Zwischenziel is neuter: das Zwischenziel → jedes Zwischenziel.

Why is „jedes Zwischenziel“ singular, not plural like „alle Zwischenziele“?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

Jedes Zwischenziel macht mir Mut.
Emphasizes each individual intermediate goal; every single one gives you courage.
Alle Zwischenziele machen mir Mut.
Focuses on the set as a whole; all of them together encourage you.

German often uses jedes + singular where English might say every or each (still singular) and it sounds very natural in German in motivational or reflective sentences like this.

What cases are used in „Jedes Zwischenziel macht mir Mut“, and why is it „mir“ and not „mich“?

The structure is:

Jedes Zwischenziel – nominative (subject)
macht – verb
mir – dative (indirect object)
Mut – accusative (direct object)

The verb phrase is jemandem Mut machen = to encourage someone / to give someone courage.

jemandem is dative → mir (to me), dir, ihm, etc.
mich would be accusative and is not correct here, because Mut is what is being “made/given,” not “me”.

So literally it’s „Every intermediate goal makes courage to me“, which in proper English is gives me courage / encourages me.

What exactly does the expression „Mut machen“ mean, and how is it used?

Mut machen (jemandem) means to encourage (someone) or to give someone courage/hope/confidence.

Typical patterns:

Etwas macht mir Mut. – Something encourages me / gives me courage.
Du machst mir Mut. – You encourage me.
Der Erfolg hat ihr Mut gemacht. – The success encouraged her.

It’s similar to other idioms like:

Das macht mir Angst. – That scares me.
Das macht mir Sorgen. – That worries me.

So „macht mir Mut“ is a very natural, idiomatic way to say encourages me in German.

Why is it „auch wenn der Weg noch lang ist“ and not something like „auch wenn der Weg ist noch lang“?

„Auch wenn der Weg noch lang ist“ is a subordinate clause introduced by auch wenn, which behaves like wenn or obwohl:

In German subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb goes to the end.
So we have: der Weg (subject) – noch lang (predicate adjective) – ist (verb at the end).

Word order:

Main clause: Der Weg ist noch lang. (verb in 2nd position)
Subordinate clause: …weil der Weg noch lang ist.
…auch wenn der Weg noch lang ist.

So „auch wenn der Weg ist noch lang“ is ungrammatical because ist must go to the end in this type of clause.

What is the difference between „auch wenn“ and „obwohl“ here?

Both can work, but there is a nuance:

obwohl = although, even though
Presents a fact that contrasts with the main clause.
- Obwohl der Weg noch lang ist, macht mir jedes Zwischenziel Mut.
auch wenn = even if / even though
Often highlights a possible, imagined, or still-true-but-accepted difficulty.
- Jedes Zwischenziel macht mir Mut, auch wenn der Weg noch lang ist.

In your sentence, auch wenn sounds a bit more concessive/accepting:
Every intermediate goal encourages me, even though (I accept that) the road is still long.
Obwohl would be slightly more neutral and factual.

Why is it „der Weg ist noch lang“ and not „der Weg ist noch lange“?

Here lang is an adjective describing „der Weg“:

Der Weg ist lang. – The path is long.
(Weg is long → adjective)

lange is usually an adverb of time meaning for a long time:

Es dauert noch lange. – It will still take a long time.
Ich habe lange gewartet. – I waited for a long time.

So:

describing a thing → lang: Der Weg ist lang.
describing duration → lange: Es dauert lange.

In the sentence, we’re describing the path itself, not the duration, so lang is correct.

What does „Zwischenziel“ mean exactly, and how is it formed?

Zwischenziel is a compound noun:

zwischen = between / in between
das Ziel = goal, target

So das Zwischenziel literally means “in-between goal” → intermediate goal / milestone.

Grammar points:

Gender: das Zwischenziel (neuter)
Plural: die Zwischenziele

It’s commonly used for goals/stages on the way to a larger final goal:
Ein Zwischenziel erreichen – to reach a milestone.

Why is „Mut“ capitalized, and why is there no article (der Mut) here?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, so Mut must be written with a capital M.

As for the article:

Mut is an abstract, uncountable noun (like courage in English).
Abstract nouns often appear without an article in general statements:
- Er hat Mut. – He has courage.
- Sie zeigt viel Mut. – She shows a lot of courage.

You would use der Mut when you are referring to it more specifically, e.g.:

Der Mut, den er gezeigt hat, war beeindruckend. – The courage he showed was impressive.

In „macht mir Mut“, we mean courage in general, so no article is used.

Could I say „Jedes Zwischenziel gibt mir Mut“ or „Jedes Zwischenziel ermutigt mich“ instead? Are they the same?

Both alternatives are grammatical, but there are slight differences in feel:

Jedes Zwischenziel macht mir Mut.
Very idiomatic, common, a bit more colloquial and emotional.
Jedes Zwischenziel gibt mir Mut.
Also understandable and okay, but less idiomatic than Mut machen.
Jedes Zwischenziel ermutigt mich.
More formal/literary, very direct translation of encourages me; often used in writing, not as much in casual speech.

In everyday spoken German, „macht mir Mut“ is the most natural-sounding option.