Breakdown of Zufälligerweise hat er auch verschlafen, also bleibt es unser Geheimnis.
er
he
auch
also, too
es
it
haben
to have
unser
our
bleiben
to stay
das Geheimnis
the secret
also
so, therefore
verschlafen
to oversleep
zufälligerweise
coincidentally
Questions & Answers about Zufälligerweise hat er auch verschlafen, also bleibt es unser Geheimnis.
How is zufälligerweise formed from the base adjective?
It comes from the adjective zufällig (random). Adding the suffix -weise turns it into an adverb that comments on the whole sentence, meaning "coincidentally" or "as chance would have it." Notice the extra -er- connecting the two parts (zufällig + er + weise), which is standard for these attitude adverbs.
Why does the verb hat come immediately after zufälligerweise?
Because zufälligerweise takes up the first position in the sentence. In German main clauses, the conjugated verb (hat) must always take the second position, which pushes the subject (er) into the third position.
Why is there no ge- at the beginning of the past participle verschlafen?
Verbs starting with inseparable prefixes like ver-, be-, or ent- never take a ge- in the past participle. Because of this rule, the infinitive and the past participle for verschlafen (to oversleep) happen to be the exact same word!
Does also mean "also" in English?
No, this is a classic false friend! The German word also means "so," "therefore," or "thus." If you want to say "also" in the English sense, you use auch, which you can see in the first half of this sentence (hat er auch verschlafen).
Why is it unser Geheimnis in the nominative case instead of using the accusative?
The verb bleiben (to remain) is a linking verb, much like sein (to be) and werden (to become). It describes the subject rather than acting on a direct object, so it takes the nominative case on both sides. Since Geheimnis (secret) is a neuter noun, the pronoun is just unser.
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