FormTrotzdem + Verb + Subjekt … | … Verb … trotzdem
Meaning and usage
trotzdem means all the same, anyway: something happens although there was a reason against it. Es regnet. Trotzdem gehen wir spazieren. It is a connecting adverb: in position 1 it is followed straight away by the verb, then the subject. It can also stand later in the clause: Es ging mir nicht gut, aber ich ging trotzdem zur Arbeit.
The same meaning can be expressed with obwohl, which sends the verb to the end: Obwohl es regnet, gehen wir spazieren. trotzdem can stand inside that main clause too (Obwohl es regnet, gehen wir trotzdem spazieren), but it cannot open it after an obwohl clause. The classic mistake is Ich bin müde, trotzdem ich gehe joggen; after trotzdem the verb comes first: trotzdem gehe ich joggen.
Examples 5
Es regnet. Trotzdem gehen wir spazieren.
It's raining. All the same we're going for a walk.
Sie war müde. Trotzdem versuchte sie, die Arbeit zu beenden.
She was tired. However, she tried to finish the work.
Es ging mir nicht gut, aber ich ging trotzdem zur Arbeit.
I didn't feel well, but I went to work anyway.
Er ist intelligent, aber ich mag ihn trotzdem nicht.
He's intelligent, but I still don't like him.
Ich wusste nicht, wie das geht, doch ich versuchte es trotzdem.
I didn't know how to do that, but I tried to do it anyway.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
Das Wetter war schlecht. sind wir an den Strand gefahren.
Show answer
Correct answer: Trotzdem
They went to the beach despite the bad weather, so Trotzdem, with the verb straight after it.
- obwohl would send the verb to the end of its own clause: Obwohl das Wetter schlecht war, …
- trotz is a preposition and needs a noun: trotz des Wetters.
- deshalb introduces a result, but going to the beach is not a result of bad weather.
In this topic: Connectors
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.