Breakdown of Die Hitze wird den Lebensraum wohl austrocknen, folglich bedroht dies viele Tiere.
viel
much / a lot
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
das Tier
the animal
werden
will (future auxiliary)
die Hitze
the heat
wohl
probably, I suppose
bedrohen
to threaten
folglich
consequently
austrocknen
to dry up
der Lebensraum
the habitat
Questions & Answers about Die Hitze wird den Lebensraum wohl austrocknen, folglich bedroht dies viele Tiere.
Why does the verb bedroht come right after folglich?
Because folglich is an adverbial connector. In German, these connectors take up the first position in their clause. To maintain the strict verb-second (V2) rule, the verb bedroht must immediately follow it in position 2, pushing the subject dies to position 3.
Would the sentence change if I used demzufolge or infolgedessen?
No, the meaning and grammar would stay exactly the same. folglich, demzufolge, and infolgedessen all mean "consequently" or "as a result" and behave the same way grammatically. You could safely swap in demzufolge bedroht dies or infolgedessen bedroht dies here.
Why is wohl translated as "probably" instead of "well"?
In this sentence, wohl functions as a modal particle rather than a standard adverb. When used this way, it expresses an assumption or strong probability, similar to "probably" or "likely," rather than referring to doing something "well".
Is it grammatically correct to just use a comma before folglich? In English, that would be a comma splice.
Yes, it is perfectly correct in German. While English requires a semicolon or a period before words like "consequently," German allows you to connect two closely related main clauses with just a comma before an adverbial connector like folglich. You could also use a period and start a new sentence if you preferred.
What exactly does the pronoun dies refer to here?
dies (this) refers back to the entire preceding situation (the fact that the heat will dry up the habitat), rather than just one specific noun. Using dies instead of das sounds slightly more elevated, which fits nicely with formal connectors like folglich.
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