Concessive Clauses: obwohl, trotzdem in German

Overview

Concessive clauses allow you to express contrast or unexpected outcomes — situations where something happens despite an opposing circumstance. In German, the two most important words for this are obwohl (although/even though) and trotzdem (nevertheless/despite that). Mastering these at the B1 level lets you construct more sophisticated sentences and express nuance in your reasoning.

The key distinction is structural: obwohl is a subordinating conjunction that sends the verb to the end of its clause, while trotzdem is an adverb that connects two main clauses with the verb in second position. They express similar meanings but work very differently in terms of word order.

These words appear constantly in everyday German, from casual conversations (Obwohl ich müde bin, gehe ich noch aus) to formal arguments (Die Kosten stiegen, trotzdem wurde das Projekt fortgesetzt). Learning to use both correctly adds a layer of sophistication to your German.

How It Works

obwohl (although) — subordinating conjunction

Obwohl introduces a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb goes to the end.

Structure	Example
Obwohl + subject + ... + verb, main clause.	Obwohl es regnet, gehe ich spazieren.
Main clause, obwohl + subject + ... + verb.	Ich gehe spazieren, obwohl es regnet.

trotzdem (nevertheless) — adverb

Trotzdem starts a main clause, so the verb stays in second position (after trotzdem).

Structure	Example
Statement. Trotzdem + verb + subject + ...	Es regnet. Trotzdem gehe ich spazieren.
Statement, trotzdem + verb + subject + ...	Es regnet, trotzdem gehe ich spazieren.

Comparison

	obwohl	trotzdem
Type	Subordinating conjunction	Adverb
Verb position	End of clause	Second position
Connects	Subordinate + main clause	Two main clauses

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Obwohl es regnet, gehe ich spazieren.	Although it's raining, I'm going for a walk.	obwohl — verb at end
Er ist müde, trotzdem arbeitet er.	He is tired, nevertheless he works.	trotzdem — verb 2nd
Obwohl ich müde bin, kann ich nicht schlafen.	Although I'm tired, I can't sleep.	obwohl with modal verb
Das Essen war teuer. Trotzdem hat es gut geschmeckt.	The food was expensive. Nevertheless, it tasted good.	trotzdem starting new sentence
Sie kommt zur Party, obwohl sie krank ist.	She's coming to the party although she's sick.	obwohl after main clause
Ich habe viel gelernt, trotzdem habe ich die Prüfung nicht bestanden.	I studied a lot, nevertheless I didn't pass the exam.	Unexpected result
Obwohl er kein Deutsch spricht, lebt er in Berlin.	Although he doesn't speak German, he lives in Berlin.	Contrast in lifestyle
Es war kalt. Trotzdem sind wir schwimmen gegangen.	It was cold. Nevertheless, we went swimming.	Past tense with trotzdem
Obwohl wir uns beeilt haben, kamen wir zu spät.	Although we hurried, we arrived late.	Perfect tense in obwohl clause
Der Film war lang, trotzdem war er spannend.	The movie was long, nevertheless it was exciting.	Concession about quality

Common Mistakes

Using trotzdem with verb-final word order

• Wrong: Es regnet, trotzdem ich spazieren gehe.
• Right: Es regnet, trotzdem gehe ich spazieren.
• Why: Trotzdem is an adverb, not a conjunction. The verb must come in second position after it, not at the end.

Using obwohl with verb-second word order

• Wrong: Obwohl es regnet, ich gehe spazieren.
• Right: Obwohl es regnet, gehe ich spazieren.
• Why: After a subordinate clause introduced by obwohl, the main clause begins with the verb (inversion), since the entire obwohl clause occupies position one.

Confusing obwohl and trotzdem as interchangeable

• Wrong: Trotzdem es regnet, gehe ich spazieren.
• Right: Obwohl es regnet, gehe ich spazieren.
• Why: Trotzdem cannot introduce a subordinate clause the way obwohl does. Each word has its own grammatical role and sentence structure.

Usage Notes

Both obwohl and trotzdem are common in spoken and written German, though trotzdem tends to feel slightly more conversational while obwohl is comfortable in both registers.

A colloquial alternative to obwohl is obgleich or obschon, but these sound more literary or old-fashioned. In everyday speech, obwohl is the clear standard.

You may also encounter trotz (despite) as a preposition: Trotz des Regens gehe ich spazieren (Despite the rain, I go for a walk). This uses the genitive case (or dative in colloquial speech).

In spoken German, you may sometimes hear obwohl used at the beginning of a sentence as an afterthought, with verb-second order: Ich gehe spazieren — obwohl, es regnet ja. This is informal and functions more like "actually, come to think of it" rather than a true concessive clause.

Practice Tips

1. Write five pairs of contrasting facts about yourself and express each pair once with obwohl and once with trotzdem. For example: Obwohl ich Schokolade liebe, esse ich selten Süßes. Ich liebe Schokolade, trotzdem esse ich selten Süßes.
2. Pay close attention to verb placement. After each sentence you write, check: did I put the verb at the end with obwohl? Did I put the verb second after trotzdem?
3. Read opinion pieces or editorial columns in German — they frequently use concessive structures to acknowledge counterarguments before making their point.

Related Concepts

• Subordinate Clauses: weil, dass — foundational subordinate clause structure that obwohl follows