Das Gebiet, wohin das Lehnwort wandert, ist groß.
The region where the loanword migrates to is large.
Breakdown of Das Gebiet, wohin das Lehnwort wandert, ist groß.
sein
to be
groß
big / tall
wohin
where to
das Gebiet
the area
das Lehnwort
the loanword
wandern
to migrate
Questions & Answers about Das Gebiet, wohin das Lehnwort wandert, ist groß.
Why use wohin here instead of a normal relative pronoun like in das?
While you could technically say in das (into which), wohin is often used as a directional relative pronoun when talking about moving toward a place or area like das Gebiet. It acts as a neat shortcut for 'to where' or 'into which' and sounds very natural when verbs of motion like wandert are involved.
Why are there two verbs right next to each other (wandert, ist)?
This happens because the relative clause (wohin das Lehnwort wandert) is inserted right into the middle of the main clause (Das Gebiet ist groß). The relative clause pushes its verb (wandert) to the very end. Once the comma closes the relative clause, the main clause resumes with its verb (ist) in the second position, because the entire subject block (Das Gebiet, wohin das Lehnwort wandert) counts as position one.
Does wandern only mean 'to hike'? How does a word hike?
While wandern is the standard vocabulary word for 'to hike' or 'to walk', it is also used for 'to migrate', 'to wander', or 'to drift'. It is perfectly normal in German to say a word, concept, or animal migrates (wandert) from one region to another.
How do I know the gender of Lehnwort?
Like all compound nouns in German, the gender is determined by the last word in the chain. Because das Wort (the word) is neuter, das Lehnwort (the loanword) is also neuter.
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