Breakdown of Diese Angewohnheit ist nämlich wirklich unerträglich.
sein
to be
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
wirklich
really
nämlich
you see
unerträglich
unbearable
die Angewohnheit
the habit (personal quirk or mannerism)
Questions & Answers about Diese Angewohnheit ist nämlich wirklich unerträglich.
Why is nämlich translated as "you see" here instead of its literal meaning "namely"?
In German, nämlich often acts as a particle that introduces a reason or explanation for a previous statement. In English, we usually express this conversational flavor with phrases like "you see" or "because". The speaker is likely using it to justify a complaint they just made.
Since this lesson is about the placeholder object es, how would we rewrite this sentence to say "I find it really unbearable that..."?
You would use es in the main clause as a placeholder (Korrelat) that points ahead to a subordinate clause. It would look like this: Ich finde es nämlich wirklich unerträglich, dass... The es sits in the main clause, holding the spot for the actual object (the dass-clause).
Is there a difference between Angewohnheit and Gewohnheit?
Yes! While both mean "habit", Angewohnheit specifically refers to a personal quirk or mannerism, which is very often a bad or annoying one (like chewing loudly). Gewohnheit refers to neutral routines or customs (like going for a walk after dinner). Since the habit here is described as unbearable, Angewohnheit is the perfect word.
How does the word unerträglich get its meaning?
It is built from the verb ertragen, which means "to bear" or "to endure". The suffix -lich turns it into the adjective erträglich (bearable), and the prefix un- negates it, resulting in "unbearable".
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