Breakdown of Wir müssen den Chef in Kenntnis setzen.
in
in
wir
we
der Chef
the boss (male)
müssen
to have to, must
setzen
to set / to sit (someone)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Kenntnis
the knowledge (awareness, familiarity)
Questions & Answers about Wir müssen den Chef in Kenntnis setzen.
What does in Kenntnis setzen literally mean, and why not just use informieren?
Literally, it means 'to set in knowledge.' This is a Noun-Verb Support Construction (Nomen-Verb-Verbindung). While you could use a normal verb like informieren, using in Kenntnis setzen sounds much more formal, official, and professional. You will often see these constructions in business settings or news reports.
Why is den Chef in the accusative case here? Don't you give information 'to' someone?
In English you might give information to someone, but the German grammar here is controlled by the verb setzen (to set or place). You are literally 'setting the boss into knowledge.' Because setzen requires an accusative direct object for the person being placed, der Chef becomes den Chef.
Why is there no article like die or der before Kenntnis?
In many of these fixed Noun-Verb Support Constructions, the noun drops its article because it represents an abstract concept rather than a specific physical thing. The phrase is a set package: it is always exactly in Kenntnis setzen.
How does the word order work with this construction since there is a modal verb (müssen)?
The modal verb müssen takes the standard second position, pushing the main action to the end of the sentence. In noun-verb phrases, the prepositional part (in Kenntnis) is placed right before the infinitive verb (setzen) at the very end, keeping the fixed phrase together as a single block.
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