Breakdown of Ich frage den Trainer, wie ich meine Haltung verbessere.
ich
I
fragen
to ask
wie
how
mein
my
der Trainer
the trainer / the coach
verbessern
to improve
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Haltung
the posture
Questions & Answers about Ich frage den Trainer, wie ich meine Haltung verbessere.
Why do we use the accusative 'den Trainer' instead of a dative indirect object?
In German, the verb fragen is special. The person you are asking is treated as a direct object, so it always takes the accusative case. The verb fragen is one of the few verbs that can actually take a double accusative (like in the phrase Ich frage ihn das), though in this sentence, the second 'object' is replaced by the whole subordinate clause.
Why does the verb verbessere go at the very end of the sentence?
The question word wie introduces a subordinate clause, which acts as an indirect question here. In German, any subordinate clause pushes its conjugated verb all the way to the end.
Can die Haltung mean anything besides physical posture?
Yes, die Haltung is a very versatile word. Besides physical posture, it frequently means someone's mental 'attitude', 'stance', or 'demeanor'. Given that a Trainer is involved in this sentence, physical posture is the most natural fit.
Why is the ending verbessere instead of the infinitive verbessern?
Even though it is pushed to the end of the sentence, the verb still has to agree with the subject of its own clause. The subject is ich, so the verb takes the standard first-person singular -e ending to become verbessere.
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