Breakdown of Die Umschulung dauert lange, weshalb wir unsere Pläne später verwirklichen.
wir
we
unser
our
lange
for a long time, long
spät
late
dauern
to last / to take (time)
der Plan
the plan
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
weshalb
which is why
die Umschulung
the retraining
verwirklichen
to realize (make real, achieve)
Questions & Answers about Die Umschulung dauert lange, weshalb wir unsere Pläne später verwirklichen.
Why is the verb verwirklichen at the very end of the sentence?
Because weshalb acts as a subordinating conjunction here. It introduces a relative clause that connects back to the first half of the sentence, which forces the conjugated verb (verwirklichen) to the very end.
Could I use deshalb instead of weshalb here?
Yes, but you would have to change the word order. Deshalb (therefore) is a regular adverb, so it would start a new main clause and pull the verb to the second position: ...lange, deshalb verwirklichen wir unsere Pläne später. Using weshalb allows you to connect the thoughts in a smoother subordinate clause.
Does weshalb refer to a specific noun in the first clause?
No, and that is exactly what makes it special! Unlike standard relative pronouns (like der or die) that refer back to one specific noun, weshalb refers to the entire preceding statement—the fact that the retraining takes a long time. You could also use weswegen here with the exact same meaning.
Why use verwirklichen for "realizing" instead of a word like bemerken?
In English, "to realize" has two meanings: to suddenly notice something, or to make something a reality. German uses completely different words for these. If you notice a mistake, you use bemerken or erkennen. But here, they are making their plans real, so the correct verb is verwirklichen (built from the adjective wirklich, meaning "real" or "actual").
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