Breakdown of Die vom Investor geplante Fläche ist groß.
sein
to be
groß
big / tall
planen
to plan
vom
from the (von + dem) / of the (belonging to) / by the (agent in a passive clause)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Investor
the investor
die Fläche
the area (surface)
Questions & Answers about Die vom Investor geplante Fläche ist groß.
How does the word order work in the phrase Die vom Investor geplante Fläche?
This is an extended participle attribute. In English, we put these descriptive phrases after the noun: 'The area planned by the investor'. In written German, this whole phrase gets 'sandwiched' between the article (Die) and the noun (Fläche). The past participle (geplante) acts like an adjective placed right before the noun, and any details attached to it (like vom Investor) must come immediately before that participle.
Why does the past participle geplant have an -e ending here?
Because it is placed directly in front of the noun Fläche, it acts as an adjective and must take an adjective ending. Fläche is a feminine noun in the nominative case. Since it follows the definite article Die, it uses the weak adjective declension, resulting in the -e ending (geplante).
Why is vom (von dem) used here for 'by' instead of durch?
Extended participle attributes often act like compressed passive sentences. In passive constructions, von is used for the active agent, which is the person or entity actually doing the action (the investor). durch is generally reserved for the means, method, or non-living cause.
How would you say this sentence using a normal relative clause instead of this 'sandwich' structure?
You could unpack it into a passive relative clause: Die Fläche, die vom Investor geplant wird, ist groß. The extended participle attribute is simply a more compact, formal way of expressing this exact same idea.
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