Ohne Wasser verwelken die Tulpen schnell, besonders wenn der Wind warm ist.

German often puts a time, place, or condition phrase first for emphasis. Here, Ohne Wasser highlights the condition: without water.

This also affects word order. In a main clause, the conjugated verb normally comes in the second position, so after Ohne Wasser, the verb verwelken comes next:

• Ohne Wasser verwelken die Tulpen schnell.

If you started with the subject instead, you could also say:

• Die Tulpen verwelken ohne Wasser schnell.

That is grammatical too, but it emphasizes the tulips a bit more and the condition a bit less.

This is because of the verb-second rule in German main clauses.

In German, the conjugated verb must be in the second position. Since Ohne Wasser is in the first position, the verb verwelken must come next, and the subject die Tulpen comes after it.

So the structure is:

• Ohne Wasser = position 1
• verwelken = position 2
• die Tulpen = subject after the verb

This is very common in German.

Ohne always takes the accusative case.

So in a sentence with an article, you would see:

• ohne das Wasser
• ohne den Hund
• ohne die Sonne

In your sentence, Wasser has no article, so the accusative is not visibly marked:

• ohne Wasser

That is normal.

Because Wasser is being used as a mass noun in a general sense, like water in English.

So German often says:

• ohne Wasser = without water
• mit Zucker = with sugar
• aus Holz = made of wood

If you meant some specific water, you might use an article, but here the general meaning is more natural.

Verwelken means to wilt or to wither, especially for flowers and plants.

It is a very natural verb here because Tulpen are flowers. So:

• Die Tulpen verwelken. = The tulips wilt.

It describes the process of losing freshness, firmness, and life.

Because the subject is die Tulpen, which is plural.

The present-tense forms of verwelken are:

• ich verwelke
• du verwelkst
• er/sie/es verwelkt
• wir verwelken
• ihr verwelkt
• sie verwelken

Since die Tulpen = they, the correct form is:

• die Tulpen verwelken

Here schnell is being used as an adverb, not an adjective before a noun.

Compare:

• die schnellen Tulpen = the fast/quick tulips → adjective, so it takes an ending
• Die Tulpen verwelken schnell. = The tulips wilt quickly. → adverb, so no ending

In German, adjectives used adverbially usually keep the basic form.

Besonders means especially.

It adds emphasis to the idea that the tulips wilt quickly, and this is even more true under the condition that follows:

• besonders wenn der Wind warm ist
  = especially when the wind is warm

So it points to a situation in which the wilting happens even more noticeably.

Because wenn introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses the conjugated verb usually goes to the end.

So:

• wenn der Wind warm ist

not

• wenn ist der Wind warm

This is one of the most important German word-order patterns to learn.

Wenn can mean when, whenever, or if, depending on context.

In this sentence, the most natural meaning is:

• especially when the wind is warm

But in a broader sense, it can also carry an if/whenever this happens idea.

A useful comparison:

• wenn = when/if/whenever for repeated or general situations
• als = when for a single event in the past

So here wenn is correct because this is a general statement, not one specific past event.

Because warm comes after ist and describes the subject der Wind. This is called a predicative adjective.

In German, predicative adjectives do not take endings.

So:

• Der Wind ist warm.
• Die Tulpen sind schön.
• Das Wasser ist kalt.

But before a noun, the adjective does take an ending:

• der warme Wind

So:

• der Wind ist warm = no ending
• der warme Wind = with ending

Because Wind is a masculine noun in German:

• der Wind

In this clause, der Wind is the subject of ist, so it stays in the nominative case.

In German, all nouns are capitalized.

So in this sentence:

• Wasser
• Tulpen
• Wind

are capitalized because they are nouns.

This is a standard rule in German spelling.

Yes, some parts can move, but the grammar changes with them.

For example:

• Die Tulpen verwelken ohne Wasser schnell, besonders wenn der Wind warm ist.
• Besonders wenn der Wind warm ist, verwelken die Tulpen ohne Wasser schnell.

These versions are also possible, but they shift the emphasis.

What must stay consistent is:

• main clause = conjugated verb in second position
• subordinate clause with wenn = conjugated verb at the end

Yes, the comma is correct because wenn der Wind warm ist is a subordinate clause, and German normally separates subordinate clauses with commas.

So:

• ..., besonders wenn der Wind warm ist.

The comma helps show the structure clearly.

It is literal and natural. Warmer wind can make flowers lose moisture faster, so the sentence is talking about a real physical effect.

So the sentence means something like:

• without water, tulips wilt quickly
• and this happens even more when the wind is warm

It is a straightforward, natural statement about plants.