Breakdown of Das Spiel lässt sich nur miteinander gewinnen.
gewinnen
to win
nur
only
das Spiel
the game/match
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
miteinander
with each other
sich lassen
can be done (sich lassen + infinitive)
Questions & Answers about Das Spiel lässt sich nur miteinander gewinnen.
What does miteinander mean here, and how is it formed?
miteinander translates to "with each other" or "together". It is formed by fusing the preposition mit (with) and the reciprocal pronoun einander (each other). In German, prepositions are combined directly with einander to create a single word rather than being written separately.
Could I just say mit uns instead of miteinander?
You could use mit uns if you specifically mean "with us" as a defined group. However, miteinander is more universal and means "with each other" in a general sense. It emphasizes the mutual cooperation required to win the game, regardless of who exactly is playing.
Why does the sentence use lässt sich instead of the passive voice?
The structure sich lassen plus an infinitive (here, gewinnen) is a classic German alternative to the passive voice. It expresses that something can be done (literally: "lets itself be won"). It means the same thing as kann gewonnen werden (can be won), but often sounds much more natural and elegant in everyday speech.
Why is gewinnen pushed all the way to the end of the sentence?
In the phrase lässt sich ... gewinnen, the verb lassen acts similarly to a modal verb like können or müssen. The conjugated verb lässt takes the second position in the sentence, which forces the main action verb in its dictionary form (gewinnen) to the very end of the clause.
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