Rethinking German Word Order: Cause ⇄ Effect, and the Two Faces of “Trotzdem”

Author’s Column — Tymur LevitinChoose your language Visualizing the balance between meaning and grammar Why Learners Get Stuck on German Word Order Textbooks divide sentences into Hauptsatz (main clause) and Nebensatz (subordinate clause). Learners are often told to memorize lists: This approach leads to mental overload. In conversation, there’s no time to recall which of the 20 conjunctions you’re […]