Breakdown of Der Experte verbessert den Algorithmus, indem er das Programm testet.
er
he
verbessern
to improve
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Experte
the expert
testen
to test (try out)
indem
by doing
das Programm
the program
der Algorithmus
the algorithm
Questions & Answers about Der Experte verbessert den Algorithmus, indem er das Programm testet.
What does indem mean here, and why does it push testet to the end?
Indem is a conjunction that translates to "by" or "by means of" when describing how an action is done. Because it introduces a subordinate clause, it forces the conjugated verb (testet) to the very end of the sentence. English handles this differently by using "by" plus an "-ing" verb ("by testing").
What gender is Algorithmus, and why is it den?
It is a masculine noun (der Algorithmus). Because the algorithm is the direct object receiving the action of being improved, it takes the accusative case, changing der to den. Nouns ending in -us in German are almost always masculine loanwords from Latin or Greek.
How would I add meiner Meinung nach to the start of this sentence?
It would be: Meiner Meinung nach verbessert der Experte den Algorithmus, indem er das Programm testet. The phrase meiner Meinung nach (in my opinion) takes up the entire first position. The core rule of German main clauses is that the verb must be in position 2, so verbessert comes immediately after it, pushing the subject (der Experte) into position 3.
Could I use durch instead of indem to say "by testing"?
Not with a whole clause. Durch is a preposition, so it must be followed by a noun, such as durch das Testen (through the testing). Because this sentence uses a full mini-sentence with a subject and a verb (er das Programm testet), you have to use the conjunction indem.
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