trotzdeem

Nevertheless: Trotzdeem

Level 3

Trotzdeem means anyway or nevertheless. It is an adverb, so the verb comes straight after it: Et reent, trotzdeem gi mer eraus.

How It Works

1. Meaning
Trotzdeem says that something happens even though the situation just mentioned speaks against it. English uses anyway, still or nevertheless.

2. Trotzdeem first: the verb comes next
Trotzdeem is an adverb. When it opens a clause, it fills the first place, and the verb takes second place, just as in The Verb Comes Second:

  • Et reent, trotzdeem gi mer eraus. (It is raining; we are going out anyway.)
  • Ech war midd, trotzdeem hunn ech nach geschafft. (I was tired, but I still worked.)

3. Trotzdeem inside the clause
Trotzdeem can also stand after the verb. The subject then keeps first place:

  • Hien huet vill geléiert an ass trotzdeem duerchgefall. (He studied a lot and still failed.)
  • Ech probéieren et trotzdeem. (I will try it anyway.)

4. Trotzdeem, obwuel and trotz

  • obwuel is a conjunction in the other clause, with the verb at the end: Obwuel et reent, gi mer eraus.
  • trotz is a preposition before a noun: trotz dem Reen. See Because Of, Despite, During.

5. Spelling
The official spelling is trotzdeem, with a long ee. The Luxembourgish dictionary (LOD) records the German-looking trotzdem as a spelling mistake, so always write trotzdeem.

Examples (5)

  1. Et reent, trotzdeem gi mer eraus.

    It's raining, but we're going out anyway.

    Trotzdeem comes first, so the verb gi follows it and mer comes after the verb.

  2. Ech war midd, trotzdeem hunn ech nach geschafft.

    I was tired, but I still kept working.

    The verb hunn follows trotzdeem directly.

  3. Hien huet vill geléiert an ass trotzdeem duerchgefall.

    He studied a lot and still failed.

    Here trotzdeem stands after the verb ass.

  4. De Restaurant ass deier, mee mir iessen trotzdeem gär do.

    The restaurant is expensive, but we still like eating there.

    Iessen keeps its n before the t of trotzdeem.

  5. Du hues Recht. Ech probéieren et trotzdeem.

    You're right. I'll try it anyway.

    Trotzdeem can close a sentence as anyway.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the subject before the verb after trotzdeem.

    Et reent, trotzdeem mir ginn eraus.
    Et reent, trotzdeem gi mer eraus.

    Trotzdeem takes the first place, so the verb must come second: trotzdeem gi mer. Ginn becomes gi before m.

  • Sending the verb to the end after trotzdeem, as after obwuel.

    Ech war midd, trotzdeem ech nach geschafft hunn.
    Ech war midd, trotzdeem hunn ech nach geschafft.

    Trotzdeem is an adverb, not a conjunction. The verb follows it directly instead of going to the end.

  • Using trotzdeem before a noun instead of the preposition trotz.

    Trotzdeem dem Reen gi mer eraus.
    Trotz dem Reen gi mer eraus.

    Before a noun, use the preposition trotz with the dative. Trotzdeem stands on its own.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

trotzdeemLevel 3Nevertheless: Trotzdeem

Learn This First

Before Nevertheless: Trotzdeem, learn Although: Obwuel and Putting Something Else First.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

trotzdeem