Breakdown of Wir bewerten die Aufgaben während der Vorlesung.
wir
we
die Aufgabe
the task
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Vorlesung
the lecture
während
during
bewerten
to grade
Questions & Answers about Wir bewerten die Aufgaben während der Vorlesung.
This lesson is about the Gerundivum. How could we use that grammar here to say 'the tasks to be graded during the lecture'?
To form the Gerundivum (which acts like a passive obligation), use zu + the present participle of the verb as an adjective. The present participle of bewerten is bewertend. Adding zu gives us the base zu bewertend-. With the correct plural adjective ending, 'the tasks to be graded' becomes die zu bewertenden Aufgaben. If we include the time phrase, we get the noun phrase: die während der Vorlesung zu bewertenden Aufgaben.
Why is it der Vorlesung when the noun is die Vorlesung?
The preposition während (during) requires the genitive case. Because Vorlesung is a feminine noun, its article changes from die to der in the genitive. Note that in casual spoken German, people often substitute the dative case after während, though for feminine nouns like this one, the dative and genitive articles happen to be exactly the same.
What is the difference between bewerten, benoten, and korrigieren in this context?
bewerten (from der Wert, the value) means to evaluate or assess. benoten (from die Note, the grade) specifically means to assign a letter or number grade. korrigieren means to correct mistakes. They are often used interchangeably in university contexts, but bewerten sounds slightly more formal and focuses on the overall assessment of the work.
If I wanted to emphasize that the grading happens 'during the lecture', how would the word order change?
You would move the time phrase to the very front of the sentence (position 1). Because the conjugated verb must always stay in position 2, the subject (wir) has to move to position 3, right after the verb: Während der Vorlesung bewerten wir die Aufgaben.
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