Adversative connector 'dennoch' (nevertheless)

dennoch is a conjunctional adverb (Konjunktionaladverb) meaning nevertheless / nonetheless. It signals an unexpected contrast: despite what was just said, the result is different from what one would expect. It is concessive in feel ("even so").

Because it is an adverb, not a subordinating conjunction, it counts as a sentence element. When dennoch opens the clause, the finite verb comes before the subject (inversion, verb in second position).

• Es war teuer, dennoch kauften wir es. - It was expensive; nevertheless we bought it.
• Sie war krank, dennoch ging sie zur Arbeit. - She was ill; nonetheless she went to work.
• Der Plan ist riskant. Dennoch sollten wir es versuchen. - The plan is risky. Even so, we should try.

Common mistakes:

• Forgetting inversion: dennoch kauften wir es, not dennoch wir kauften es.
• Treating it like a subordinator (weil/dass) and pushing the verb to the end - dennoch never does that.

'dennoch' (nevertheless) marks an unexpected contrast and causes inversion.

Marks an unexpected result; at the start of a clause it causes inversion.

'dennoch' nennt einen unerwarteten Gegensatz und führt zur Inversion.