Breakdown of Er hat seine Leistung verbessert, sodass er den Rekord brechen konnte.
er
he
haben
to have
sein
his
können
can / to be able to
verbessern
to improve
sodass
so that (as a result)
die Leistung
the performance (achievement, power)
der Rekord
the record
brechen
to break
Questions & Answers about Er hat seine Leistung verbessert, sodass er den Rekord brechen konnte.
What is the function of sodass here?
Sodass means "so that" and introduces a consecutive clause, which simply means it shows the result or consequence of the first action. The result of him improving his performance is that he could break the record.
Could we use so ..., dass instead of sodass for this sentence?
Yes! You could say Er hat seine Leistung so verbessert, dass er den Rekord brechen konnte. Splitting them puts a stronger emphasis on the degree of the first action: he improved his performance to such an extent that he broke the record.
Why is the verb order brechen konnte at the end of the sentence?
Sodass acts as a subordinating conjunction, which kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of the clause. Since können is the conjugated modal verb here, konnte goes at the end, right after the infinitive brechen.
Why does the first half use the Perfekt tense (hat ... verbessert) but the second half uses the Präteritum (konnte)?
Germans frequently mix these two past tenses. They prefer the Perfekt tense for most normal verbs in everyday language, but they usually stick to the Präteritum (simple past) for modal verbs like können, müssen, or wollen. Using the Perfekt for the modal here would require a clunky double infinitive (hat brechen können).
Learn Er hat seine Leistung verbessert, sodass er den Rekord brechen konnte and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free