Breakdown of Der faule Zwilling ist extrem unordentlich, Peter dagegen ist sehr ordentlich.
sein
to be
sehr
very
Peter
Peter
ordentlich
tidy / neat
dagegen
on the other hand, by contrast
der Zwilling
the twin
extrem
extremely
faul
lazy
unordentlich
untidy
Questions & Answers about Der faule Zwilling ist extrem unordentlich, Peter dagegen ist sehr ordentlich.
Why is the adjective ending -e in Der faule Zwilling instead of -er?
Because the definite article Der already shows that the noun is masculine and in the nominative case. When the article does the grammatical heavy lifting, the adjective takes the weak ending -e.
Why does dagegen come right after Peter instead of at the beginning of the clause?
The word dagegen translates to 'on the other hand' or 'in contrast'. It can go at the beginning of the clause, but placing it immediately after the subject (Peter) is very common to heavily emphasize the contrast between Peter and the twin.
Why do the adjectives unordentlich and ordentlich not have any endings here?
Because they are used with the verb ist to describe the subject, rather than being placed directly in front of a noun. In German, predicate adjectives (adjectives that follow verbs like sein) never take an ending.
Is adding un- to a word like ordentlich a common way to make opposites in German?
Yes! Just like in English, adding the prefix un- to an adjective is a very common and reliable way to create its exact opposite. It is a great trick for quickly expanding your vocabulary.
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