Breakdown of Der Student verzichtet nicht auf Nudeln, sondern auf Brot.
nicht
not
das Brot
the bread
der Student
the university student
sondern
but rather
die Nudel
the noodle
verzichten auf
to give up
Questions & Answers about Der Student verzichtet nicht auf Nudeln, sondern auf Brot.
Why do we use sondern here instead of aber?
Both mean 'but', but sondern is used specifically to contradict or correct a negative statement. Because the first part uses nicht (not) to say what the student isn't giving up, we must use sondern to introduce the correct alternative (bread).
Why is the word auf used in this sentence?
The verb verzichten (to give up or to do without) is a fixed combination that always requires the preposition auf. German often pairs specific verbs with specific prepositions, just like English does.
Why is auf repeated after sondern?
Repeating the preposition makes the contrast clearer. The sentence structure perfectly balances the negative side (nicht auf Nudeln) with the positive correction (sondern auf Brot).
What case do Nudeln and Brot take here?
They are in the accusative case. The fixed phrase verzichten auf always requires the following noun to be in the accusative case. You don't see the case clearly here because general plurals (Nudeln) and uncountable nouns (Brot) drop their articles in German, just like in English.
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