Breakdown of Die Drohnen, die ich steuere, sind unsichtbar.
ich
I
sein
to be
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Drohne
the drone
steuern
to control
unsichtbar
invisible
Questions & Answers about Die Drohnen, die ich steuere, sind unsichtbar.
Why are there two verbs right next to each other separated by a comma (steuere, sind)?
This happens because of the relative clause die ich steuere. In German, relative clauses push their conjugated verb (steuere) to the very end. Once that clause is closed with a comma, the main sentence picks up exactly where it left off. Since the inserted clause just gives more information about the subject (Die Drohnen), the very next thing we need in the main sentence is its verb (sind).
Why use steuern instead of kontrollieren for "to control"?
In German, kontrollieren usually means to check, monitor, or inspect something (like a teacher checking homework or a guard checking tickets). When you mean physically operating, piloting, or directing a machine, vehicle, or drone, you use steuern (which is closely related to the English word "steer").
How do we know which relative pronoun to use for die in the middle of the sentence?
The relative pronoun refers back to die Drohnen, which is plural. Inside the relative clause, the drones are the direct object being controlled (I control them), so we need the accusative case. For plural nouns, both the nominative and accusative relative pronouns are die.
What is the root of the word unsichtbar?
It comes from the verb sehen (to see). From that we get the noun die Sicht (the sight, view, or visibility). Adding the suffix -bar (similar to "-able" in English) makes it sichtbar (visible). Finally, the prefix un- makes it the opposite: unsichtbar (invisible).
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