Breakdown of Wir konnten viel über die Strategie voneinander lernen.
lernen
to learn
wir
we
viel
much / a lot
können
can / to be able to
über
about (a topic)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
voneinander
from each other
die Strategie
the strategy
Questions & Answers about Wir konnten viel über die Strategie voneinander lernen.
How does voneinander work in this sentence?
voneinander combines the preposition von (from) with the reciprocal pronoun einander (each other). If we just used the regular pronoun and said von uns (from us), it could mean learning from our group as a whole. Fusing it into voneinander makes it perfectly clear that the individuals in the group are learning "from each other."
Why is it über die Strategie instead of using the dative case über der Strategie?
The word über is a two-way preposition. When it is used abstractly to mean "about" a topic (like talking, thinking, or learning about something), it always triggers the accusative case. Because Strategie is a feminine noun, the accusative article remains die.
Why is voneinander placed right before lernen?
The modal verb konnten in the second position pushes the main verb lernen to the very end of the sentence. Adverbs like voneinander often sit right before the verb they closely modify. You could also move it earlier and say Wir konnten voneinander viel über die Strategie lernen, but placing it at the end puts a bit more focus on the "from each other" aspect.
Is konnten the simple past tense or the hypothetical "could" (Konjunktiv II) here?
It is the simple past tense (Präteritum) of können, meaning "we were able to" or "we could" (as a completed fact in the past). If it were the hypothetical subjunctive form meaning "we would be able to" or "we could" (if we tried), it would need an umlaut: könnten.
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