Breakdown of Nach dem Marathon war er so erschöpft, dass er nicht mehr feiern konnte.
sein
to be
er
he
feiern
to celebrate
können
can / to be able to
nach
after (in time)
so
so, such (intensifier)
nicht mehr
no longer, not any more
dass
that
der Marathon
the marathon
erschöpft
exhausted
Questions & Answers about Nach dem Marathon war er so erschöpft, dass er nicht mehr feiern konnte.
Why are so and dass separated in this sentence?
The structure so ..., dass (so ... that) is used to express a consequence. The word so goes directly in front of the adjective it emphasizes in the main clause (here, so erschöpft). The consequence is then explained in the subordinate clause starting with dass.
Why is the word order war er instead of er war?
In German, the conjugated verb must be in the second position of a main clause. Because this sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Nach dem Marathon in position one, the verb war takes position two, pushing the subject er to position three.
Why are both verbs (feiern and konnte) at the very end of the sentence?
The word dass starts a subordinate clause, which always kicks the conjugated verb to the very end. Since konnte is the conjugated modal verb here, it goes to the absolute end, placing it directly after the infinitive verb feiern.
Why does nicht mehr translate to 'no longer'? Doesn't mehr mean 'more'?
While mehr alone means 'more', the combination nicht mehr is a fixed phrase that means 'no longer' or 'not anymore' in English. In this context, it means he was unable to celebrate anymore.
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