Word
Ihr sollt ihm misstrauen, auch wenn er nickt.
Meaning
You should distrust him even if he nods.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Ihr sollt ihm misstrauen, auch wenn er nickt.
er
he
ihr
you (informal plural)
ihm
him / it / to him / to it (dative)
sollen
should / ought to
Questions & Answers about Ihr sollt ihm misstrauen, auch wenn er nickt.
Why is miss- attached directly to trauen, and does it ever separate?
The prefix miss- is inseparable, so it stays attached to the verb in all tenses and word orders. It functions like the English prefixes "dis-" or "mis-", turning trauen (to trust) into misstrauen (to distrust).
Why do we use the dative pronoun ihm here instead of the accusative ihn?
Just like its base verb trauen (to trust), the verb misstrauen always takes a dative object. You can think of it as giving your trust (or distrust) to someone, making them the indirect receiver of the action.
Why does the verb nickt go at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase auch wenn (even if) acts as a subordinating conjunction. This creates a dependent clause and sends the conjugated verb (nickt) to the very end of that clause.
Why is the verb sollt used instead of solltet if the translation says "should"?
sollt is the regular present tense of sollen, often used for a firm instruction (meaning "you are supposed to"). solltet is a softer recommendation (meaning "you ought to"). English uses "should" for both, but this sentence is giving a strong directive.