Breakdown of Er spricht Deutsch und sogar Französisch.
und
and
sprechen
to speak
Deutsch
German
Französisch
French
sogar
even
Questions & Answers about Er spricht Deutsch und sogar Französisch.
Could I use außerdem or zudem instead of und sogar to add this information?
You could, but it would change the grammar and the tone. Words like außerdem (besides/furthermore) usually connect two full clauses or sentences, such as Er spricht Deutsch. Außerdem spricht er Französisch. Using und sogar lets you keep everything in one short sentence while adding a strong feeling of surprise or impressiveness.
What exactly is the function of sogar here?
sogar translates to "even." It is a particle used to emphasize that a piece of information is surprising, extreme, or exceeds expectations. While this lesson's connectors simply add facts, sogar shows that speaking French is viewed as an unexpected or impressive bonus on top of speaking German.
Why don't the languages have articles here, like das Deutsch?
When talking generally about the ability to speak, read, or learn a language, you drop the article in German. You generally only use the definite article if you are describing a specific instance of the language, like Das Deutsch, das er spricht, ist sehr gut (The German that he speaks is very good).
Why are Deutsch and Französisch capitalized? Aren't they adjectives?
When referring to the name of a language, these words act as nouns. Because all nouns are capitalized in German, language names get capitalized too. They are only lowercase when used as adjectives describing something else, such as in ein französisches Restaurant (a French restaurant).
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