Breakdown of Sie ist nicht mit dem Autor verwandt, aber sie kennt ihn gut.
sein
to be
sie
she
gut
good / well
aber
but
nicht
not
kennen
to know (somebody/something)
ihn
him
mit
with
der Autor
the author
verwandt
related
Questions & Answers about Sie ist nicht mit dem Autor verwandt, aber sie kennt ihn gut.
Why is mit used here when the English translation says "related to"?
The adjective verwandt (related) always pairs with the fixed preposition mit. Prepositions rarely translate perfectly between languages, so it is best to memorize the full phrase verwandt sein mit (to be related to).
Why is it dem Autor rather than den Autor?
The fixed preposition mit always requires the dative case. Because Autor is a masculine noun, the article changes to the dative form dem.
Why does the sentence use kennt instead of weiß for "knows"?
German distinguishes between knowing facts (wissen) and being familiar with people, places, or things (kennen). Because she knows a person (the author), you must use kennen.
Why doesn't the verb kennt go to the end of the sentence after aber?
aber (but) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it occupies "position 0" in the clause. It simply links the two main clauses without affecting the word order. The subject sie takes position 1, and the verb kennt stays in its normal position 2.
Why is the pronoun ihn used instead of ihm?
The verb kennen takes a direct object, which must be in the accusative case. Since the author is a masculine noun, the accusative pronoun for "him" is ihn.
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