Trotzdem, Obwohl & Other German Concessive Connectors (with Examples)

Trotzdem and obwohl both express a contrast — “although” or “nevertheless” — but they follow completely different sentence structures. Below you get the core pair first, then the full family of concessive connectors (dennoch, obgleich, obschon, wenngleich, trotz) so you can choose the right form for speech, writing, and exams.

The reason trotzdem and obwohl are studied together is that their meaning is almost identical. On the contrary, the use within a sentence is different between the two, which initially confuses students.

In both cases, trotzdem and obwohl, we speak of Konzessivsätze (concessive clauses).

What does it mean?

Suppose we have two unconnected sentences. The two sentences are the primary sentence, which describes an action, and a secondary sentence, which illustrates an unexpected continuation of the action in the first sentence.

In both cases they are two complete sentences, and also two main sentences (Hauptsätze).

How do you use “trotzdem” in a sentence?

Let’s suppose we have these two sentences.

To join the two sentences, in English I would say:

Nevertheless is the connector between the two sentences.

This is called a concessive connector (Konzessivsatz), as the second sentence describes an unexpected continuation of the action in the first sentence.

These are the two sentences.

This is the resulting sentence:

How does “obwohl” change word order?

Obwohl has the same meaning, but the construction of the phrase is different.

This is because obwohl is a conjunction and introduces a secondary sentence (Nebensatz).

Recall that in the Nebensatz the verb always goes in the last position (Verbletztstellung).

The reference scheme is as follows:

The sentence introduced by obwohl can also go to the end. In this case, the inversion does not go into the main sentence (Hauptsatz).

This is the reference scheme:

The full family of concessive connectors

Trotzdem and obwohl are the pair every A2–B1 learner meets first. German has a wider set of Konzessivkonnektoren that share the same contrast meaning but differ in word class, word order, and register. Use the table to decide which form fits your sentence — no single one-line answer covers all of these choices.

How to choose

• Need two main clauses linked with “nevertheless”? → trotzdem or dennoch (Verbzweitstellung after the connector).
• Need a subordinate clause with “although”? → obwohl in everyday German; obgleich / obschon / wenngleich when the text should sound more formal.
• Want a noun after “despite”? → trotz + Genitive (trotz des Wetters), not obwohl + full clause.

Dennoch behaves like trotzdem: it stays in a Hauptsatz and triggers inversion.

Obgleich, obschon, and wenngleich copy the obwohl pattern exactly (verb last in the Nebensatz). Prefer them in essays, news, and exams when a more elevated tone is appropriate; stick with obwohl in conversation.

Trotz is different in kind: it is a preposition, not a clause linker. Standard written German uses the Genitive; a Dative after trotz appears in speech and is often tolerated, but exams usually expect Genitive.

But … colloquial trotzdem as obwohl

In the most correct form of German (Hochdeutsch), the use of trotzdem and obwohl is that described above, but in practice there are also deviations.

In speech, especially in the southern part of Germany, trotzdem is sometimes used instead of obwohl, using the same construction as for obwohl.

For example,

The Duden itself lists this use of trotzdem as colloquial (umgangssprachlich). For tests and formal writing, keep trotzdem in the Hauptsatz and use obwohl (or a formal synonym) for the Nebensatz.

Self-check: can you build the sentences?

Try each item first, then open the answer. This only works on the page — use it to verify word order before you move on.

Other examples

A classic exercise on the topic is to build joint sentences using trotzdem first and obwohl after. Here are worked models you can compare with your self-check answers.

If you would like to practise these connectors in real conversation, you can book a trial lesson for one-on-one feedback or join a group class to use them with other learners. They sit in the A2 and B1 syllabus — check the A1 group course page for how the levels build.

References

1. Duden: trotzdem
2. Duden: obwohl
3. Duden: trotzdem (umgangssprachlich = obwohl)
4. Nebensatz: obwohl
5. Deutschegrammatik 2.0 — konzessive Satzverbindung