Breakdown of Ich bin unabhängig und programmiere das System selbst.
ich
I
sein
to be
und
and
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das System
the system
selbst
oneself, myself (emphatic); even
programmieren
to program
unabhängig
independent
Questions & Answers about Ich bin unabhängig und programmiere das System selbst.
Could I use selber instead of selbst in this sentence?
Absolutely. selbst and selber mean exactly the same thing when emphasizing who does an action. selbst is standard and preferred in writing, while selber is very common in everyday spoken German.
Does selbst change its form depending on who is doing the action?
No! Unlike English, where you have to switch between "myself", "yourself", "herself", and so on, the German word selbst never changes its form. It works for any subject.
Why is selbst placed at the very end of the sentence?
When selbst emphasizes the subject (here, ich), it generally goes at the end of the clause, right after the direct object (das System).
Why isn't there a second ich after the word und?
Since both halves of the sentence share the same subject (ich), you don't need to repeat it after the coordinating conjunction und (and). Just like in English, saying und programmiere is more natural than repeating und ich programmiere.
What is the literal breakdown of the word unabhängig?
It is built around the verb hängen (to hang). Abhängig means "dependent" (think of "hanging off" something). Adding the negative prefix un- gives us unabhängig (independent).
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