Breakdown of Die Phobie kommt davon, dass das Mädchen in der Höhe große Panik hat.
groß
big / tall
in
in
kommen
to come
haben
to have
das Mädchen
the girl
dass
that
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
davon
of it, from it, about it
die Panik
the panic
die Phobie
the phobia
die Höhe
the height
Questions & Answers about Die Phobie kommt davon, dass das Mädchen in der Höhe große Panik hat.
Why do we need davon here? Can't we just use the preposition von directly before the dass clause?
The verb phrase here is kommen von (to come from). In German, you cannot connect a preposition directly to a dass clause. Instead, you must combine it with da- to create a placeholder in the main clause. Davon acts as an anticipatory pointer, meaning "from that", which the dass clause then explains in detail.
The English translation says "from the girl having panic". Why does German use a dass clause instead of an equivalent to an "-ing" word?
German does not have a gerund (an "-ing" verb acting as a noun). When English connects a preposition to an "-ing" action (like "from having"), German almost always uses a da-compound placeholder followed by a regular dass clause. Literally, this sentence says "The phobia comes from it, that the girl has great panic."
Why is it in der Höhe rather than in die Höhe?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because we are describing a static situation (the location where the panic happens) rather than movement to a new destination, it takes the dative case. The feminine noun die Höhe becomes der Höhe in the dative.
Why does the sentence use Panik hat instead of a single verb meaning "to panic"?
While German does have the verb paniken, it is highly colloquial and often avoided in standard written language. It is much more natural and common to express this idea with the noun phrase Panik haben (to have panic) or in Panik geraten (to fall into panic).
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