Breakdown of Der Automat schluckt das Geld, was mich wütend macht.
machen
to make, to do
das Geld
the money
mich
me
wütend
angry
Questions & Answers about Der Automat schluckt das Geld, was mich wütend macht.
Why use was here instead of a normal relative pronoun like der or das?
In German, when "which" refers back to an entire situation or a whole clause rather than a specific noun, you must use was. Here, was refers to the whole fact that the machine swallowed the money, not just to das Geld or der Automat.
Why is the verb macht at the very end of the sentence?
The word was introduces a relative clause, which is a type of subordinate clause. In German, subordinate clauses always kick the conjugated verb (in this case, macht) to the very end of the sentence.
Is schluckt used exactly the same way as "swallows" in English?
Yes! The verb schlucken literally means "to swallow." Just like in English, it is widely used in everyday German to describe a vending machine or ATM taking your money or card without giving you anything in return.
Why do we use mich instead of mir in the phrase mich wütend macht?
The verb machen (to make) acts directly on the person, so it takes the accusative case. "To make someone angry" is jemanden wütend machen, so you must use the accusative pronoun mich.