Breakdown of Wir prüfen immer, ob es ein Risiko gibt.
ein
a, an (eine)
wir
we
immer
always
es gibt
there is / there are
ob
whether / if
prüfen
to check / to test
das Risiko
the risk
Questions & Answers about Wir prüfen immer, ob es ein Risiko gibt.
Why is gibt at the very end of the sentence?
The word ob (whether/if) introduces a subordinate clause, which is a type of dependent sentence. In German, these clauses always send the conjugated verb to the end. Since gibt is the conjugated verb here, it moves to the very end.
Could I use wenn instead of ob here? They both translate to 'if' in English.
No, you must use ob here. You use ob for indirect yes/no questions, which usually translates to 'whether' in English. You use wenn for conditions (like 'If it rains, I will stay inside'). Since we are checking 'whether' a risk exists, ob is required.
I learned that 'there is' is es gibt. Why are the words es and gibt separated here?
In a normal main sentence, they stay together, like Es gibt ein Risiko (There is a risk). But because this is an indirect question starting with ob, the rule to move the verb to the end takes priority. The word es stays right after ob, while gibt gets pushed to the very end.
Does the phrase es gibt affect the grammar of ein Risiko?
Yes! The phrase es gibt always forces the following noun into the accusative (direct object) case. Because Risiko is a neuter noun (das Risiko), its accusative form is just ein Risiko. If we used a masculine noun like Fehler (mistake), it would change to einen Fehler.
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