Breakdown of Der Erfolg stärkt einem das Selbstvertrauen.
der Erfolg
the success
man
one / you (impersonal)
stärken
to strengthen
das Selbstvertrauen
the self-confidence
Questions & Answers about Der Erfolg stärkt einem das Selbstvertrauen.
Why do we use einem here instead of a possessive word for 'one's'?
In German, when talking about personal attributes like das Selbstvertrauen (self-confidence) or body parts, you usually do not use a possessive word. Instead, you use a dative pronoun to show whose attribute it is, plus the definite article (das). Literally, it says 'Success strengthens to one the self-confidence.' For a general statement, we use einem, the dative form of the impersonal pronoun man.
How do I know whether to use einem or einen in this sentence?
You look at the role the pronoun plays. Here, the direct object receiving the action is das Selbstvertrauen, so it takes the accusative case. The person who benefits from the action is the indirect object, which takes the dative case. Because of this, you must use the dative form einem rather than the accusative form einen.
Could I just use man in this sentence?
No, man can only be used as the subject of a sentence in the nominative case. Since the subject performing the action here is Der Erfolg (Success), the general pronoun is acting as an object. Therefore, it has to shift to its object forms: einen for accusative or einem for dative.
Why does einem come before das Selbstvertrauen?
In German word order, pronoun objects like einem almost always come before noun objects like das Selbstvertrauen. This helps keep the sentence structure clear, especially when a sentence has both a dative and an accusative object.
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