Breakdown of Als wir den Anteil berechneten, fanden wir das Problem.
das Problem
the problem
wir
we
finden
to find
als
when (past single event)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
berechnen
to calculate
der Anteil
the proportion
Questions & Answers about Als wir den Anteil berechneten, fanden wir das Problem.
Why is als used here instead of wenn or wann for 'when'?
In German, als is used for a single, specific event or a continuous period in the past. Wenn is used for present/future events or repeated past events ('whenever'), and wann is only used for question words. Since calculating the proportion was a one-time completed event in the past, als is the right choice.
Why is the verb fanden right after the comma?
The phrase Als wir den Anteil berechneten is a subordinate clause that takes up the entire first position of the main sentence. Because the main verb must always be in the second position, the main clause immediately starts with the verb fanden to keep it in that number two slot.
What tense are berechneten and fanden in?
They are in the simple past tense (Präteritum). While everyday spoken German often uses the spoken past (Perfekt), the simple past is very common in written storytelling, formal reports, and literature to describe a sequence of connected events in the past.
Could I use the spoken past (Perfekt) for this sentence instead?
Yes, in conversational German you would likely say Als wir den Anteil berechnet haben, haben wir das Problem gefunden. However, using the simple past as shown in this sentence makes it sound a bit more like a formal report or a written narrative.
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