Breakdown of Der See trocknet aus, folglich sterben die Fische.
der Fisch
the fish
der See
the lake
sterben
to die
folglich
consequently
austrocknen
to dry up
Questions & Answers about Der See trocknet aus, folglich sterben die Fische.
Why is the verb sterben right after folglich?
folglich is an adverbial connector, meaning it takes up the first position in the second clause. Because German main clauses require the verb in the second position, the verb sterben must come immediately after folglich, pushing the subject die Fische to the third position.
Does folglich have to be at the very beginning of the second clause?
No. Because it is an adverb, it can also move later into the clause. You could say , die Fische sterben folglich. In that case, the subject die Fische takes position 1, the verb sterben stays in position 2, and folglich comes right after.
Could I use demzufolge or infolgedessen in this sentence instead?
Yes, absolutely. folglich, demzufolge, and infolgedessen are interchangeable here. They all mean 'consequently' or 'as a result', and they all trigger the exact same word order: , demzufolge sterben die Fische or , infolgedessen sterben die Fische.
Why is there no comma after folglich, unlike in English where we usually write 'consequently, the fish...'?
In German, you do not isolate introductory adverbs with a comma. Because folglich is fully integrated into the clause as the first position element, placing a comma after it would incorrectly separate it from the verb.
Why use the separable verb austrocknen instead of just trocknen?
austrocknen specifically means to dry up or dry out completely, which is what happens to a lake losing its water. The base verb trocknen just means to dry, like wet clothes on a line. The prefix aus- emphasizes the total depletion of the water.
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