Sobald die Nudeln fertig sind, gieße ich sie im Sieb ab.

As soon as the pasta is ready, I drain it in the colander.

Breakdown of Sobald die Nudeln fertig sind, gieße ich sie im Sieb ab.

• sein: to be
• ich: I
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter)
• sobald: as soon as

Questions & Answers about Sobald die Nudeln fertig sind, gieße ich sie im Sieb ab.

What does sobald mean here, and how is it different from wenn?

Sobald means as soon as.

So Sobald die Nudeln fertig sind means as soon as the noodles are ready.

Compared with wenn:

• sobald = as soon as, with a stronger sense of immediacy
• wenn = when / whenever / if, depending on context

So:

• Sobald die Nudeln fertig sind, ... = the next action happens immediately after they are done
• Wenn die Nudeln fertig sind, ... = when the noodles are ready, ..., which is a bit more neutral

Both can work, but sobald is more precise here.

Why is sind at the end of Sobald die Nudeln fertig sind?

Because Sobald die Nudeln fertig sind is a subordinate clause.

In German, when a clause begins with a subordinating conjunction like:

• sobald
• weil
• dass
• wenn
• obwohl

the conjugated verb goes to the end of that clause.

So:

• die Nudeln sind fertig = main clause word order
• sobald die Nudeln fertig sind = subordinate clause word order

That is why sind comes last.

Why is there a comma after sind?