Breakdown of Wir lesen effektiv, indem wir wichtige Details markieren.
wir
we
lesen
to read
wichtig
important
das Detail
the detail
indem
by doing
effektiv
effective
markieren
to highlight
Questions & Answers about Wir lesen effektiv, indem wir wichtige Details markieren.
Why does German use indem wir... markieren instead of a direct translation for by highlighting?
English often expresses a method using by plus an -ing verb. German does not have an exact -ing equivalent. Instead, it uses the conjunction indem (meaning by doing so or in that) to introduce a full clause with a subject (wir) and a conjugated verb (markieren).
Why is the verb markieren at the very end of the sentence?
The word indem is a subordinating conjunction. Just like the words weil or dass, it creates a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause.
Why does wichtig get an -e ending in wichtige Details?
The noun Details is plural and acts as the direct object (accusative) of the clause. Because there is no article like die or keine in front of it, the adjective takes the strong plural ending -e.
Could I use the preposition durch instead of indem to say by highlighting?
Yes, you could use durch combined with a capitalized noun form of the verb, such as durch das Markieren wichtiger Details. However, using indem to build a full clause is very common and often sounds more natural in everyday German.
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