Okay", hat der Igel gesagt, "wetten wir, dass ich schneller laufe als Sie!
Why is "laufe" preceding "als Sie!" here? Is it grammatically correct to reverse their positions
asked Jun 1, 2018 at 10:16
-
4Duplicate of Conjugated verb NOT in the last position in a subordinate clause– amadeusamadeusAug 2, 2020 at 22:32
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
Wetten wir, dass ich schneller laufe als Sie!
Wetten wir, dass ich schneller laufe als ein Hase!
This is correct and all a matter of emphasis. As you maybe already know, the first thing in a German sentence is what gets the most emphasis, followed by the last thing.
Wetten wir, dass ich schneller als Sie laufe!
Wetten wir, dass ich besser als Sie schummle!
-
So, it is still correct to reverse their positions right? (so "laufe" ends up being last) On a slightly unrelated note, what part of speech is "als Sie" considered to be? Is it an adverb? Jun 1, 2018 at 10:31
-
1It's a comparison, introducing a Prädikativ ("nominative object"). And yes, it can also be put at the usual position. Such comparisons belong to the few things which may be placed outside of the Verbklammer.– JankaJun 1, 2018 at 12:04
-
could you please give me more info regarding what exactly Verbklammer is? Jun 1, 2018 at 12:07
-
1German sentence construction follows the idea of embracing things belonging together by parts which are clearly marked as related. Such as an article or pronoun and the corresponding noun or two parts of a verb. The Verbklammer is the outermost brace in a clause, and may even be the outermost brace in a whole sentence (embracing subordinate Verbklammern). Unlike commas, these braces are available in speech, too.– JankaJun 1, 2018 at 12:12
Putting things after the Verbklammer is only common for particular elements. Comparisons with 'als' are one of those elements.
Wetten, dass ich schneller laufe als Sie!
*Wetten, dass ich schneller laufe zum Zoo!
The first example is unremarkable, the second would be unusual, used primarily in poetry to make things scan right.
