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I have a question regarding a pretty simple german sentence. Which form is correct or better (or more correct)?

Dort konnte ich ein paar Kontakte knüpfen und mich unterhalten, mit anderen Leuten die den gleichen Beruf erlernen.

or:

Dort konnte ich ein paar Kontakte knüpfen und mich mit anderen Leuten unterhalten, die den gleichen Beruf erlernen.

I guess the 2nd, but I made that mistake at a german test, and wrote the first sentence. I don't really know why. Maybe because I thought that after "und" the verb is 2nd. Is the first version somehow acceptable too?

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The first sentence needs a comma before die den. But in general, both are okay. The second one is what you will learn in a German course, but the first one is what you will encounter on the street.

The first one could be rewritten as:

Dort konnte ich ein paar Kontakte knüpfen und mich unterhalten . Ich konnte mich mit anderen Leuten unterhalten, die den gleichen Beruf erlernen."

As you see, it's two concatenated main clauses with a pretty complicated ellipsis.

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  • Thanks for the answer. So do you think that first sentence will be somehow accepted? It was an "Aufnahmeprüfung" for a school spot.
    – Adrian
    Feb 9, 2019 at 17:19
  • If the auditor acts reasonable, yes. You may get a mark for the missing comma, though.
    – Janka
    Feb 9, 2019 at 17:33
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    I wouldn't accept the first sentence. I am very strict in this case. And the point with the mentioned comma is absolutely right. - But don't mind, there are so many people with German mother language who are making even more horrible mistakes. Perhaps I could close an eye, if you made a double point after unterhalten ... in the first version, I mean.
    – Albrecht Hügli
    Feb 9, 2019 at 18:12
  • @AlbrechtHügli Confused a bit by your remark about a "double point" (I assume a colon?). Could you elaborate how it would fit in the sentence (regarding its meaning)? It doesn't seem it would perform any of the functions of a colon known to me there. Unless the answer is a bit too long for a comment, in this case I can ask a proper question.
    – Michail
    Feb 9, 2019 at 19:31
  • You are right. I meant a colon. And I was wrong: The sentence after the colon wouldn‘t be a full sentence.
    – Albrecht Hügli
    Feb 9, 2019 at 19:58
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The second sentence is more correct!

The first could rather be acceptable in this form:

Dort konnte ich ein paar Kontakte knüpfen und mich unterhalten - mit anderen Leuten, die den gleichen Beruf erlernen.

(This would emphasize the point that those were people of the same profession.)

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