Breakdown of Sie hofft darauf, die Samen wachsen zu sehen.
sie
she
sehen
to see
hoffen
to hope
darauf
on it
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der Samen
the seed
wachsen
to grow
Questions & Answers about Sie hofft darauf, die Samen wachsen zu sehen.
Why do we need darauf here instead of just saying Sie hofft, die Samen...?
In German, the verb hoffen is strongly tied to the preposition auf (to hope for). When the thing you are hoping for is an action described by a whole separate clause, German uses an anticipatory pointer word. darauf sits in the main clause saying 'She hopes for this,' and points directly forward to the action described after the comma.
If auf typically translates to 'on', why does darauf connect to hoping?
Prepositions rarely translate exactly between languages. While English speakers 'hope for' something, Germans 'hope on' it (hoffen auf). When combining da- (it/that) with auf, you get darauf. It doesn't literally mean 'on it' in this context; it simply provides the required preposition for the verb hoffen.
Why is the zu placed between wachsen and sehen instead of at the very beginning of the verbs?
The zu only attaches to the primary verb of the infinitive clause. Her main action is to see (zu sehen). Verbs of perception like sehen can take a second, plain infinitive (like wachsen) to describe what is being seen. Just like in English where we say 'to see the seeds grow' (not 'to see the seeds to grow'), wachsen stays a plain infinitive and the zu belongs only to sehen.
How can I tell if die Samen is plural here? The word looks like it could be singular.
You can tell by the article! The singular is der Samen (the seed). The noun itself does not change its spelling in the plural, so the plural article die is your main clue that she is watching multiple seeds grow.
Learn Sie hofft darauf, die Samen wachsen zu sehen 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