Breakdown of Im Gegenteil, ich finde das sehr gut.
ich
I
sehr
very
gut
good / well
finden
to find
im Gegenteil
on the contrary
Questions & Answers about Im Gegenteil, ich finde das sehr gut.
Why doesn't the verb come right after Im Gegenteil? Shouldn't it be Im Gegenteil finde ich?
Usually, putting a phrase at the start of a German sentence pushes the verb to the second position and the subject to the third. However, Im Gegenteil (On the contrary) often acts as an independent expression, similar to Ja or Nein. When separated by a comma like this, it stands outside the main sentence structure. So, ich takes position 1 and finde takes position 2 of the core sentence.
Why is it Im Gegenteil and not just In Gegenteil?
Im is a contraction of the preposition in and the dative article dem. Gegenteil is a neuter noun (das Gegenteil). In fixed abstract phrases like this, in takes the dative case to describe a state or position, resulting in in dem, which always shortens to im.
Why use finde here instead of denke if the English translation is "I think"?
In German, finden (literally "to find") is the most natural way to express a personal opinion, taste, or judgment about something. It is just like saying "I find that very good" in English. Denken is used more for the cognitive process of thinking, and glauben is used for believing a fact.
Is das acting as an article or a pronoun here?
Here, das is a demonstrative pronoun. It stands entirely alone to refer to a whole concept or situation previously mentioned, meaning "that" or "this". If it were an article, it would need to be directly followed by a neuter noun.
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