Word
Hast du gesehen, ob die Methode funktioniert?
Meaning
Did you see whether the method works?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hast du gesehen, ob die Methode funktioniert?
du
you (informal singular)
haben
to have
funktionieren
to work (function)
sehen
to see
Questions & Answers about Hast du gesehen, ob die Methode funktioniert?
Why is funktioniert at the very end of the sentence?
Because of the word ob (whether/if). ob introduces a subordinate clause, and in German, these clauses always push the conjugated verb to the very end.
Can I use wenn instead of ob here since they can both mean "if" in English?
No, you have to use ob here. Use ob when you are expressing an indirect yes/no question (where you could replace "if" with "whether"). Use wenn for conditions ("If it rains...") or time ("Whenever I go...").
The translation is "Did you see", so why does the German say Hast du gesehen (Have you seen)?
In everyday German, the conversational past (Perfekt) is the standard way to talk about past events. While English prefers the simple past ("Did you see?"), German naturally uses Hast du ... gesehen? to express the exact same meaning.
Is the comma before ob strictly necessary?
Yes! Unlike in English, German grammar requires a comma to separate the main clause (Hast du gesehen) from the subordinate clause (ob die Methode funktioniert).