Word
Fragst du, ob das Geschenk schon besorgt ist?
Meaning
Are you asking if the gift is already taken care of?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Fragst du, ob das Geschenk schon besorgt ist?
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
fragen
to ask
das Geschenk
the gift
Questions & Answers about Fragst du, ob das Geschenk schon besorgt ist?
Why does this sentence use ist instead of wird for the passive voice?
This is the stative passive (Zustandspassiv). While using wird focuses on the action happening (dynamic passive, meaning 'is being taken care of'), using a form of sein like ist focuses on the resulting state after the action is finished. The gift is already sorted out, so we use ist to describe its current completed state.
Doesn't besorgt usually mean 'worried'?
Yes, as an adjective, besorgt often means 'worried'. However, here it is the past participle of the verb besorgen, which means 'to get', 'to procure', or 'to take care of' a task. In this context, it means the gift has been acquired.
The English translation says 'if', so why do we use ob instead of wenn?
In English, 'if' can mean 'whether' (for indirect yes/no questions) or it can introduce a condition ('if it rains'). German strictly separates these. You must use ob for 'whether' (like in this sentence, asking about the yes/no status of the gift). You use wenn for conditional 'if' statements.
Why does ist go at the very end instead of right after ob das Geschenk?