Breakdown of Sie war sehr froh über das Geschenk.
sein
to be
sehr
very
das Geschenk
the gift
über
about (a topic)
froh
glad
Questions & Answers about Sie war sehr froh über das Geschenk.
Why do we use über here instead of another preposition like von or für?
In German, many adjectives require a specific preposition to complete their meaning. To express being glad or happy about something, you always use the combination froh über. It is highly recommended to memorize the preposition right along with the adjective!
What case follows über in this sentence?
It takes the accusative case, which gives us das Geschenk (the accusative form for neuter nouns). While über is a two-way preposition that can take the dative for physical locations, it always takes the accusative case when used figuratively with adjectives like froh or verbs like sich freuen (to be happy about).
Why does this sentence use the simple past war instead of the spoken past ist gewesen?
While you could technically say Sie ist sehr froh über das Geschenk gewesen, Germans strongly prefer using the simple past (Präteritum) forms for the verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have). You will hear war and hatte everywhere, even in very casual spoken German.
Does this sentence use the unfulfilled wishes grammar (Konjunktiv II) from this lesson?
No, this sentence states a real fact in the past, so it uses the normal indicative mood. However, if you wanted to change it into an unfulfilled wish using this lesson's topic, you would use Konjunktiv II and particles like nur or doch: Wäre sie doch nur froh über das Geschenk! (If only she were glad about the present!).
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