Breakdown of Sie legt Wert auf gutes Essen.
gut
good / well
essen
to eat
Wert legen auf
to attach importance to
Questions & Answers about Sie legt Wert auf gutes Essen.
Why does this sentence use legt (lays)? I thought that meant putting something down physically.
In German, the fixed phrase Wert legen auf literally means to lay value on. It is the standard way to express that someone attaches importance to or values something.
Is the preposition auf followed by the accusative or dative case here?
It takes the accusative. While auf is a two-way preposition that can sometimes take the dative, in the fixed expression Wert legen auf, it always forces the accusative case.
Why does the adjective gut have the ending -es?
Because auf triggers the accusative case, we need the accusative form for the neuter noun Essen. Since there is no article like das or ein in front of it, the adjective gut must show the neuter accusative case itself. It takes the strong ending -es, becoming gutes.
Could I just use a regular verb to say she values good food?
Yes, you could use a single verb like schätzen (to value or appreciate) and say Sie schätzt gutes Essen. However, Wert legen auf is extremely common in everyday German and is a great phrase to master at this level.
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