Breakdown of Ich passe die Überschrift und den Absatz an.
ich
I
und
and
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Absatz
the paragraph
anpassen
to adjust
die Überschrift
the heading
Questions & Answers about Ich passe die Überschrift und den Absatz an.
Why is an at the very end of the sentence?
It belongs to the separable verb anpassen (to adjust or to adapt). In a standard German main clause, the prefix (an) is pushed to the very end of the sentence, while the conjugated stem (passe) sits in the second position.
Why is it die Überschrift but den Absatz?
Both words are direct objects receiving the action of the verb, which puts them in the accusative case. Überschrift is feminine, so its article stays die. However, Absatz is masculine (der Absatz), so its article changes to den in the accusative.
How would I say "The heading and the paragraph can be adjusted" using the passive alternative from this lesson?
You would use sich lassen + infinitive! The sentence becomes: Die Überschrift und der Absatz lassen sich anpassen. Notice that they are now the subjects of the sentence, so the accusative den Absatz changes back to the nominative der Absatz.
Does anpassen only apply to editing text?
Not at all! Anpassen is a versatile verb meaning to adjust, adapt, or alter. You can use it for altering a piece of clothing to fit or adjusting a plan. If you add a reflexive pronoun, as in sich anpassen, it means to adapt oneself to a new situation or environment.
What is the literal meaning behind the words Überschrift and Absatz?
German builds nouns very logically. Überschrift comes from über (over) and Schrift (writing) — the writing over the text, hence a heading. Absatz relates to a step or a drop (it also means the heel of a shoe). In writing, it refers to the step down to a new block of text, which forms a paragraph.
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