What are Concessive Clauses?
Concessive clauses are subordinate clauses. The conjunctions „obwohl“ and „obgleich“ introduce concessive clauses that express an opposing idea or a limitation.
The subordinate clause mentions a condition that doesn‘t logically follow from the main clause (= different than expected, doesn‘t logically follow).
Comparison: Causal and Concessive
Causal (= logically connected)
- „Ich habe die Prüfung bestanden, weil ich viel gelernt habe.“
The logical / expected consequence of the condition „viel lernen“ (to learn a lot) is „die Prüfung bestehen“ (to pass the exam) ⇒ Expectation fullfilled and logically connected.
- „Weil ich viel Geld habe, kaufe ich mir ein neues Auto.“
The logical / expected consequence of the condition „viel Geld haben“ (To have a lot money) is „ein neues Auto kaufen“ (to buy a new car) ⇒ Expectation fulfilled and logically connected.
Concessive (= opposing arguments)
- „Ich habe die Prüfung nicht bestanden, obwohl ich viel gelernt habe.“
The expectation wasn´t fulfilled. Despite learning a lot, I didn´t pass the exam. ⇒ illogical / unexpected consequence. ⇒ Opposing arguments.
- „Obwohl ich viel Geld habe, kaufe ich mir kein neues Auto.“
The consequence of the condition of having a lot money isn´t the expected one. It is kind of a contradiction. ⇒ Opposing arguments.
Summary
- Concessive clauses are subordinate clauses and express an opposing idea or limitation.
- The subordinate clause mentions a condition that doesn‘t logically follow from the main clause (= different than expected, doesn‘t logically follow).
- The conjunctions are: „obwohl“ and „obgleich“. There is no difference in meaning but „obwohl“ is more common. Both mean „although“.
Further Information
- A general overview of subordinate clauses can be found in lecture: Subordinate Clause.
- Infinitive Phrases (infinitive with zu) and Infinitive Constructions (um/anstatt/ohne … zu) are subordinate clauses as well.
- Subordinate clauses start with subordinate conjunctions: „weil/da“, „dass“, „damit“, „wenn/falls“, „so dass“, „indem“ and „als/wenn“.
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