Questions tagged [sentence-structure]
Satzbau – Questions relating to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.
492
questions
3
votes
4answers
137 views
Warum ist dies falscher inhaltlicher Bezug?
Im Wikipediaartikel zu Stilblüten wird folgendes Beispiel angegeben:
Falscher inhaltlicher Bezug: „Für solche faulen Ausreden müssen Sie sich einen Dümmeren suchen, aber den werden Sie kaum finden.“...
-2
votes
1answer
64 views
How to say “I can't wait” [closed]
I'm confused about word order and sentence structure when using phrases like I can't wait.
For example, is I can't wait to come to the cinema.:
Ich kann's kaum erwarten zu kommen ins Kino.
or
...
1
vote
2answers
45 views
werden oder werden sein
Ich habe in der Nachricht auf der Internet-Seite den folgenden Satz gesehen
Jüdische Einrichtungen werden in Sachsen-Anhalt künftig besser
geschützt.
Und somit die Frage: soll man werden ...
4
votes
2answers
262 views
Help in Translation of “zu+participle” Construction
I'm reading a novel by Franz Kafka called "die Verwandlung", and I need a help in translating a part of a sentence. Here is the sentence:
Sie wissen auch sehr wohl, daß der Reisende, der fast das ...
1
vote
1answer
80 views
Subject and meaning of the sentence
Mit einer PräpP [ mit +Dat/...] kann auf dasjenige, mit dem zusammen etwas genutzt wird, Bezug genommen werden.
I am not able to determine the subject of the sentence and to understand the meaning of ...
0
votes
2answers
68 views
Where to place “zu + Verb” infinitive construction by a subordinate clause with “wenn”?
I would like to say:
I would like to transfer my number, but only if it is still possible to get an offer with discounted price.
I am not sure how to connect verbs with "zu" in this sentence:
...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Does deswegen have another meaning than “that is why”?
I came across this sentence while practicing my German:
"Ich mache Ihnen deswegen keine Vorwürfe."
Which according to the language learning web site I found the sentence on, translates to:
"I am ...
15
votes
6answers
6k views
How do German speakers decide what should be on the left side of the verb?
Compared to English, German has a fair amount of what I am describing as "Yoda-speak", whereby the order of elements in a sentence are in the reverse order of what they would be in English.
NOTE: If ...
7
votes
2answers
784 views
What is the difference between “wie” and “nach” in “Klingt wie/nach…”
The meaning of sentences using "wie" or "nach" in this context can be very similar:
Das klingt wie Gewehrschüsse!
and
Das klingt nach Gewehrschüssen!
(That sounds like gunshots!)
Differences ...
3
votes
1answer
117 views
What is the correct formation of verb plus infinitive?
I want to say:
How long does it take to learn a new language?
I arrived at:
Wie lange braucht man um ein neu Sprache zu lernen?
Is the um ... zu formation correct here?
2
votes
1answer
83 views
Antwort auf “Wie ist Ihre gewünschte Einsatzdauer?”
Ich bewerbe mich für eine Praktikumsstelle und soll diese Frage beantworten. Ich habe ein dreimonatigen Praktikum und ein Masterarbeit zu absolvieren. Also ich bin verfügbar für 9 Monate aber ich ...
2
votes
3answers
101 views
Konjunktiv II - “wäre” oder “würde”?
Heute habe ich Konjunktiv II gelernt, aber ich finde das ein bisschen kompliziert zu verstehen...
Enough of my bad German. So, I am confused between when to use wäre or würde. Zum Beispiel: (What is ...
2
votes
1answer
63 views
Negation order in the sentence when it's emphasized. Is it after or before adverb?
I know that basically the order in German is SVO (Subject, Verb, Object). And in some cases when we want to show more emphasis on an adverb, or here in this example to show more emphasis on negation ...
3
votes
4answers
90 views
How would one express the sentiment of “stopping regrets”?
In English, we often use a syntax of the following structure:
"I have to stop with all these regrets"
It's an interesting phraseology, especially since it feel almost idiomatic because "stop with" ...
2
votes
1answer
78 views
“Oft schon habe ich dich von Herzen bedauert, dass du Tag für Tag die schwersten Lasten tragen und vom Morgen bis Abend arbeiten musst.”
What is the standard grammatical (syntactic) treatment of a sentence like this, which is from an Aesop.
Oft schon habe ich dich von Herzen bedauert, dass du Tag für Tag die schwersten Lasten tragen ...
1
vote
2answers
89 views
“daß er sich, was seine Wahrnehmung betraf, auf keine bestimmte Zahl festlegen mochte”
This post is on the daß-clause in the following passage from Zwist unter Zauberern by Kurt Kusenberg.
In the story, two wizards, Parock and Schneidebein, are carrying on a feud. Parock receives a ...
0
votes
4answers
174 views
I am confused between “Sie sind der Kellner” and “Sie sind den Kellner”
I am confused between “Sie sind der Kellner” and “Sie sind den Kellner”. Isn’t Kellner the object here? I believe it should be the latter but I have seen the first sentence as the correct one. Can ...
3
votes
2answers
103 views
What does the masculine nominative “einer” represent in “Sieh mal einer an”?
This may be just a fixed expression, but I'm curious what the masculine nominative "einer" represents. Is there another similar expression that uses a mysterious masculine nominative like this?
1
vote
3answers
108 views
Nebensatz mit “zwar…aber”
1)
ich glaube, dass zwar diese lebensweise nicht gesund ist, aber ist es ab und zu populär
2)
ich glaube, dass zwar diese lebensweise nicht gesund ist, ist es aber
ab und zu populär
Können ...
-1
votes
1answer
74 views
What is correct way to use “Habe ich” and “Ich habe”? please help me with this [closed]
I am waaay to much confused about this and this is apparently way too easy
1
vote
1answer
55 views
Pronoun endings in Akkusative Objects for “mein”
Consider the following sentence:
Seit zwei Jahren tausche ich meine alten aber noch guten Sachen hier
und bin begeistert.
In this sentence, as per my understanding, we have a Akkusative ...
2
votes
2answers
107 views
Where should a direct and indirect object be placed in a Nebensatz?
Is there any rule governing the position of object in the following sentence:
Es ist wichtig, dass man für den Antrag ein Foto, Geld und den Ausweis
mitbringt .
I mean can we write the above ...
1
vote
1answer
96 views
How to tell whether a sentence is active or passive voice
This might be a duplicate question (Is "heißen" passive or active in this usage?), but I am still unclear on the answer. After hosting a German exchange student for 10 months, I decided ...
1
vote
1answer
201 views
How to use “zuerst”, “später”, “danach” and “dann” as Zeitadverbien?
I have the following sentence. I would like to know do we have any time stating what should come when among the options: danach, dann and später .
Zuerst hat Holger Pietsch als Berater gearbeitet. ...
3
votes
1answer
82 views
Is this a noun constructed from a verb?
Can someone kindly explain the structure of this sentence to me (in general terms)?
I am most confused about the following:
The verb looks like it is in position 3
What is 'Trainierte' in this ...
0
votes
2answers
80 views
Meaning of 'uneingeleiteter Ergänzungssatz'
What is the meaning of uneingeleiteter Ergänzungssatz? Does it refer to the use of dass in the sentence as a connector of two phrases and positioning the verb at the end?
1
vote
2answers
87 views
meaning of Selbst mit in a sentence
In the following sentence what does "selbst mit" means?
Ich habe selbst mit 18 Jahren für ein Jahr als Au-pair in den USA
gearbeitet
Does this sentence means that I have worked at the age of 18 ...
0
votes
1answer
81 views
Meaning of 'es hat mir sehr gut gefallen.' [closed]
What should be the meaning of the sentence: "es hat mir sehr gut gefallen."
As per the translator, it means 'I liked it very well'
But i think it should mean 'it suits me very well'
Why am I wrong?
0
votes
3answers
75 views
Question regarding the general use of Präteritum/Perfekt in German
I have seen people write like this:
Bist du der Junge, der meine Tasche gestohlen hat?
but also
Warst du der Junge, der meine Tasche gestohlen hat?
Das war mein Vortrag, vielen Dank ...
0
votes
1answer
49 views
Is akkusativ or Dative Object pronoun used in this sentence?
The sentence is : What does my name sound like to you?
the expression "to you" what do you think it is.
If we convert into german, what would be the translation.
Will it be:
Was hört mein Name ...
2
votes
1answer
61 views
Where should mir bitte be placed in a Question sentence that have a dative pronoun and an akkusative object?
I have two sentences:
Kannst du mein Mittagessen mir geben bitte?
Kannst du mir bitte mein Mittagessen geben?
Are both grammatically correct? Is there any rule governing the positions in this ...
5
votes
2answers
952 views
Does “was machen sie” have the greeting meaning of “what do you do”?
I just started learning German language. I started to learn some very common phrase of sentences. One of such sentences is
Was machen sie?
Which basically means "what do you do?". Now, my question ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
Modalverb im Präsens mit zwei Verben im Infinitiv
Einige Männer wollen die Welt einfach brennen sehen.
Ich muss einkaufen gehen.
Er will nachher einkaufen gehen.
Sie möchten Musik spielen lernen.
All this sentences are constructed the ...
1
vote
2answers
55 views
Sentence with dass with three Verbs (Two modals)
I have a sentence:
Ich werde diese Information mitteilen müssen.
How can I put that in sentence with "dass"?
Sie hat gesagt, dass ich diese Information mitteilen müssen werde.
or
Sie hat ...
9
votes
1answer
138 views
“Ich fing an zu weinen” vs. “Ich fing zu weinen an” - was ist besser?
Schon 2 Jahre glaube ich, dass man nur „ich fing an, zu weinen“ sagen kann. Aber neulich habe ich es anders formuliert gesehen, nämlich in einem Buch bei Wattpad, und da war diese Konstruktion ...
-1
votes
1answer
45 views
A question of style -“Als” in a sentence [closed]
Wir haben auf den Lehrer gewartet als passierte der Unfall.
Does this sound natural?
3
votes
2answers
377 views
“klopfte jemand” or “jemand klopfte”?
Während ich die Gitarre spielte, klopfte jemand an die Tür.
or
Während ich die Gitarre spielte, jemand klopfte an die Tür.
Are both of these sentences grammatically correct?
2
votes
1answer
159 views
Sentence with dass with three Verbs (One modal and two connected with zu)
I would like to say in german:
"I have to try to reach this goal."
How is it gonna be?
"Ich muss versuchen, diesen Ziel zu erreichen."?
What if I want to say:
"I didn't know, that I have to try to ...
0
votes
1answer
88 views
Unable to distinguish the meaning of two sentences which have words placed in different positions
What is the difference between the following two sentences.
Google translate is showing different meaning for them.
Sent 1: Sie ist letzten Monat schon drei geworden
Sent 2: Sie ist letzten schon ...
3
votes
2answers
108 views
Position of the nominative in a sentence
1. Einmal hat sie mich zum Kaffee eingeladen.
2. Plötzlich guckten mich alle an.
Can you explain why the nominatives in both sentences have changed positions?
"Sie" came just after the verb "hat" ...
2
votes
2answers
124 views
»Die Explosion war zu hören.« – What kind of sentence structure is this?
What type of sentence structure is this (specifically, the “war ... zu hören”):
Die Explosion war auf zwei Kilometer [Entfernung] zu hören.
When would one use it? I haven’t (consciously) seen it ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
Can a German sentence have two subjects?
Can a German sentence take more than one subject? I saw this as an example sentence on the German Wiktionary page for Vorgang:
Die Wahrnehmung von Gerüchen ist ein komplexer Vorgang.
Are Die ...
5
votes
1answer
167 views
Why do we need “uns mal” in the sentence “maybe we can meet for a meal”?
If I write a sentence as: "Vielleicht können wir zu einem Essen treffen", it would mean exactly the same as the sentence: "Vielleicht können uns mal wir zu einem Essen treffen" as per the google ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Is it okay for two “sein” to be next to each other?
Well here is this sentence I wrote:
Weil Einkaufszentren eines von wenigen Dingen, die das Leben auf dem Land weniger langweilig machen, sind, sind sie wirklich wichtig.
and I mean:
Because ...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
Kann man sagen: “Mein Leben dauert 17 Jahre an”? [closed]
Ich bin beim Übersetzen eines Textes und bin mir nicht sicher, ob ich den Satz richtig formuliert habe.
Mein Leben dauert etwas länger als 17 Jahre an.
5
votes
5answers
216 views
Nice ways to describe the continuous form
This is a follow-up question to this thread.
Is it possible to say the following?
Ich war gerade dabei die Tür abzuschliessen, wenn/dann/als du anriefst.
The other post mentions the text below, ...
2
votes
2answers
161 views
Two non-modal verbs in a single sentence
Abends gehen wir alle spazieren.
or
Abends spazieren wir alle.
Which one is correct? I think second one is correct because in the first sentence gehen, is used like a modal verb due to which the ...
4
votes
2answers
697 views
Under which circumstances can »werden« stand at the end of a sentence?
My listening understanding is poor, but I frequently and clearly hear the word werden used at the end of sentences.
What grammatical structure allows this and what is its function in this position?
1
vote
2answers
73 views
Why does the modal verb come at the end?
I wonder why the modal verb comes at the end here?
..., die die Produktivität des Programmierers erhöhen soll.
1
vote
1answer
103 views
Ich gehe nach draußen - use of nach
When I asked my German host this morning where he was going, he said:
Ich gehe nach draußen
I thought that the correct way of saying "I'm going outside" would be
Ich gehe draußen
What is the ...
