Although: obwohl
Learn obwohl, the subordinating conjunction for although — the third member of a family you already partly know, alongside trotzdem from A2 and trotz with the genitive from lesson 10.
A contrast that surprises
Sometimes two facts pull in opposite directions: it is raining, and yet we go for a walk. German marks this surprising contrast with obwohl — although. It is a subordinating conjunction like weil and damit, so the pattern holds: comma before it, conjugated verb at the end of its clause. Wir gehen spazieren, obwohl es regnet.
The logic of obwohl is the mirror image of weil. A weil-clause gives a reason that explains the main clause; an obwohl-clause gives a reason that should have prevented it — and did not. Compare: Er bleibt zu Hause, weil er krank ist and Er geht zur Arbeit, obwohl er krank ist. Same fact in the subordinate clause, opposite outcome in the main clause.
That little test — does the fact work for or against the main statement? — decides between the two conjunctions in every sentence. If the combination feels expected, you want weil. If it raises an eyebrow, you want obwohl.
Wir gehen heute spazieren, obwohl es den ganzen Tag regnet.
We are going for a walk today although it has been raining all day.
Er geht zur Arbeit, obwohl er stark erkältet ist.
He is going to work although he has a bad cold.
Compare the weil version: Er bleibt zu Hause, weil er erkältet ist — reason instead of contrast.
Sie hat die Stelle bekommen, obwohl sie wenig Erfahrung hatte.
She got the job although she had little experience.
obwohl and trotzdem — one idea, two grammars
At A2 you learned trotzdem: Es regnet. Trotzdem gehen wir spazieren. obwohl expresses exactly the same concession, but the two words are grammatical opposites. trotzdem is an adverb that opens a main clause and pulls the verb into second position, directly after itself. obwohl is a conjunction that opens a subordinate clause and pushes the verb to the end.
Because they divide the work this way, they attach to different halves of the idea. obwohl stands with the obstacle: obwohl es regnet. trotzdem stands with the surprising result: trotzdem gehen wir. A classic learner error is to combine both in one sentence — obwohl es regnet, trotzdem gehen wir. That doubles the concession; German uses one or the other.
Lesson 10 gave you a third member of this family: the preposition trotz with the genitive. Trotz des Regens gehen wir spazieren says it in two words instead of a clause. Three tools, one meaning — a full clause with obwohl, a fresh start with trotzdem, or a compact noun phrase with trotz. Good B1 writing rotates among them.
Obwohl es regnet, gehen wir spazieren.
Although it is raining, we are going for a walk.
The obwohl-clause fills position one, so the main clause begins with its verb: gehen wir.
Es regnet. Trotzdem gehen wir spazieren.
It is raining. Nevertheless we are going for a walk.
trotzdem opens a main clause — the verb stays in second position.
Trotz des Regens gehen wir spazieren.
Despite the rain, we are going for a walk.
The genitive preposition trotz from lesson 10 compresses the whole clause into a noun phrase.
Obwohl die Miete hoch ist, will er in der Stadt bleiben.
Although the rent is high, he wants to stay in the city.
obwohl across the tenses
An obwohl-clause accepts every tense you know, and the verb-final rule bends them into familiar shapes. In the Perfekt, the helper verb takes the last slot: obwohl er kaum geschlafen hat. In the Präteritum from lessons 1 and 2, the simple form goes last: obwohl sie damals wenig verdiente. With a modal, the modal is the conjugated verb: obwohl er nicht kommen konnte.
Even the Konjunktiv II from lesson 7 combines with obwohl. Obwohl er mehr verdienen könnte, bleibt er bei seiner alten Firma — although he could earn more, he stays with his old company. The unreal possibility sits in the subordinate clause; the real decision sits in the main clause.
The two clauses may also describe different times: a present decision against a past fact, or the reverse. Obwohl sie den Kurs schon bestanden hat, übt sie jeden Tag weiter. German simply gives each clause the tense its content needs — there is no special agreement rule to learn.
Er ist zur Prüfung gegangen, obwohl er kaum geschlafen hat.
He went to the examination although he had hardly slept.
Perfekt in the obwohl-clause: the helper hat stands at the very end.
Obwohl sie damals wenig verdiente, war sie mit ihrem Leben zufrieden.
Although she earned little in those days, she was content with her life.
Präteritum in both clauses — typical of written accounts.
Obwohl er mehr verdienen könnte, bleibt er bei seiner alten Firma.
Although he could earn more, he stays with his old company.
Konjunktiv II in the obwohl-clause: könnte is the conjugated verb and goes last.
Weighing arguments with obwohl
Concession is the heart of every balanced discussion, and B1 examinations love balanced discussions: city or countryside, working from home or at the office. obwohl lets you hold both sides in one sentence — you concede a real advantage and still land on your own conclusion: Obwohl das Leben auf dem Land ruhiger ist, möchte ich in der Stadt wohnen.
This one-sentence structure is stronger than two separate statements, because it shows the listener that you have considered the other side. In an essay, a paragraph often runs: advantage of position A in the obwohl-clause, your position B in the main clause, then a weil-sentence to justify it. Three clauses, one complete argument.
Be careful not to confuse obwohl with aber. aber joins two main clauses as equals and takes position zero: Die Stadt ist laut, aber ich mag sie. obwohl subordinates one fact to the other and marks it as the weaker one. Choosing obwohl instead of aber is often the single change that makes an answer sound B1 rather than A2.
Obwohl das Leben auf dem Land ruhiger ist, möchte ich lieber in der Stadt wohnen.
Although life in the countryside is quieter, I would rather live in the city.
Viele arbeiten gern im Homeoffice, obwohl ihnen der Kontakt zu den Kollegen fehlt.
Many people like working from home although they miss the contact with their colleagues.
Obwohl die Wohnung klein ist, fühlen wir uns dort sehr wohl.
Although the flat is small, we feel very comfortable there.
Die Stadt ist laut und teuer, aber ich mag sie trotzdem.
The city is loud and expensive, but I like it nevertheless.
aber joins two main clauses; trotzdem inside the second clause underlines the contrast.
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
Which sentence is correct?
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