Breakdown of Angesichts des Fehlers erwartete er den Rücktritt.
er
he
der Fehler
the mistake
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
erwarten
to expect
Questions & Answers about Angesichts des Fehlers erwartete er den Rücktritt.
Why is 'des Fehlers' used instead of 'dem Fehler' or 'den Fehler'?
The preposition angesichts (in view of / given) requires the genitive case. Since der Fehler (the mistake) is a masculine noun, its genitive form becomes des Fehlers, adding the characteristic -s ending to the noun.
Does angesichts mean exactly the same thing as wegen?
They are similar but not identical. While wegen (because of) shows a direct cause and effect, angesichts (in view of / considering) describes the circumstances or atmosphere that lead to a reaction. It sounds more formal and is frequently used in news, politics, or professional contexts.
Why is the verb erwartete placed before the subject er?
This is a classic example of the V2 (verb-second) rule that you learned earlier. The entire prepositional phrase Angesichts des Fehlers acts as a single block taking up position one. To keep the conjugated verb in position two, the subject er must move to position three, right after the verb.
How is the noun Rücktritt (resignation) constructed?
It is a compound noun derived from the separable verb zurücktreten (to step back, to resign). It combines Rück- (a prefix form of zurück, meaning back) with der Tritt (the step). Literally, it translates to 'the step back'.