Breakdown of Es geht um Geheimnisse, die die Familie verheimlichen will.
es
it
die Familie
the family
wollen
to want
das Geheimnis
the secret
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
es geht um
to be about
um
about (concerning)
verheimlichen
to conceal
Questions & Answers about Es geht um Geheimnisse, die die Familie verheimlichen will.
Why does the sentence use es geht um to say "it is about"?
In German, es geht um is a fixed expression meaning "it is about" or "it concerns." You cannot translate "it is about" word-for-word. The es here is a mandatory impersonal subject, just like the "it" in "it is raining." It must always be used with the preposition um followed by the accusative case.
Why are there two dies right next to each other in die die Familie? Is that a typo?
It is not a typo! This happens often in German relative clauses. The first die is a relative pronoun meaning "that" (referring back to the plural noun Geheimnisse). The second die is just the definite article "the" belonging to Familie. They just happen to look exactly the same.
Are the words Geheimnisse and verheimlichen related?
Yes! They both share the root word heim, which relates to home, privacy, or secrecy. Das Geheimnis means "the secret," and verheimlichen is the verb meaning "to keep secret" or "to conceal." Spotting these shared roots is a great way to memorize B1 vocabulary.
Why is the word order verheimlichen will at the end of the sentence?
The second half of the sentence is a relative clause, which describes the secrets. Relative clauses always force the conjugated verb to the very end of the sentence. Here, the conjugated modal verb will goes to the end, right after the infinitive verb verheimlichen.
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