Breakdown of Sowohl das Foul als auch der Videobeweis halfen dem Gegner.
helfen
to help
sowohl ... als auch
both ... and
der Gegner
the opponent
das Foul
the foul
der Videobeweis
the video evidence
Questions & Answers about Sowohl das Foul als auch der Videobeweis halfen dem Gegner.
Since this lesson is about 'zugunsten' (in favor of), how could we rewrite this sentence to use it?
You could say Sowohl das Foul als auch der Videobeweis waren zugunsten des Gegners (Both the foul and the video evidence were in the opponent's favor). Notice that zugunsten requires the genitive case (des Gegners), whereas the verb helfen in our original sentence requires the dative case (dem Gegner).
Why is the verb halfen in the plural here?
The two-part conjunction sowohl ... als auch (both ... and ...) joins two singular subjects: das Foul and der Videobeweis. Just like in English, combining subjects this way creates a plural subject, so the verb takes the plural form halfen.
Why is it dem Gegner instead of the accusative den Gegner?
The verb helfen (to help) is a dative verb, meaning it always requires its object to be in the dative case. Even though the opponent seems like a direct object in English, German requires the dative masculine article dem.
Can I split up the subject and put the verb in the middle, like Sowohl das Foul half...?
No, because the entire phrase Sowohl das Foul als auch der Videobeweis acts as a single block occupying position 1 in the sentence. To satisfy the strict verb-second rule in German main clauses, the conjugated verb halfen must come right after the complete subject block.
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