Breakdown of Wir haben eine heftige Meinungsverschiedenheit gehabt vor dem Mittagessen.
haben
to have
wir
we
das Mittagessen
the lunch
vor
before (in time)
heftig
fierce
die Meinungsverschiedenheit
the disagreement
Questions & Answers about Wir haben eine heftige Meinungsverschiedenheit gehabt vor dem Mittagessen.
Why is vor dem Mittagessen at the very end of the sentence, after the past participle gehabt?
This is an example of using the Nachfeld (after-field). In standard German word order, the second part of the verb (gehabt) forms a bracket at the very end of the clause. However, in spoken German or for emphasis, you can place a prepositional phrase outside this bracket, right at the end. Here, it makes the time phrase feel like an afterthought or an important final detail.
If we didn't use the Nachfeld here, what would the standard word order be?
The standard, neutral word order would be: Wir haben vor dem Mittagessen eine heftige Meinungsverschiedenheit gehabt. The general rule of thumb usually puts time phrases before direct objects. Moving the time phrase to the Nachfeld breaks this standard bracket for stylistic reasons.
Is it common to put shorter phrases like vor dem Mittagessen in the Nachfeld?
It is very common in casual, spoken German, especially when you think of a detail right after finishing the main sentence. In formal written German, the Nachfeld is usually reserved for much longer, heavier prepositional phrases or comparisons to avoid making the middle of the sentence too cluttered.
How do you break down the compound noun Meinungsverschiedenheit?
It is a combination of die Meinung (the opinion) and die Verschiedenheit (the difference or diversity), joined by a linking -s-. Because the final part of the word ends in the suffix -heit, the entire noun is automatically feminine, which is why it takes the feminine adjective ending in eine heftige.
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