Breakdown of Der regelmäßige Niederschlag fehlt, infolgedessen beginnt die Dürre.
regelmäßig
regularly
fehlen
to be missing
beginnen
to begin (formal, more than anfangen)
der Niederschlag
the precipitation
infolgedessen
consequently
die Dürre
the drought (severe)
Questions & Answers about Der regelmäßige Niederschlag fehlt, infolgedessen beginnt die Dürre.
Why is the verb beginnt right after infolgedessen?
infolgedessen is an adverbial connector, meaning it occupies the first position in its clause. Because German requires the main verb to be in the second position (the V2 rule), the verb beginnt must come immediately after the connector, pushing the subject die Dürre to the third position.
What is the exact breakdown of the word infolgedessen?
It translates literally to 'in consequence of that'. It is a combination of in (in), Folge (consequence or sequence), and dessen (the genitive form of the pronoun das, meaning 'of that').
Could I put infolgedessen somewhere else in the second clause?
Yes! Because it acts as an adverb, it is flexible. You could write ..., die Dürre beginnt infolgedessen. In that version, the subject die Dürre takes the first position, the verb beginnt stays in the second position, and infolgedessen drops later into the clause.
Could I use a word like deshalb or daher instead of infolgedessen here?
Yes, words like deshalb, daher, and darum (meaning 'therefore') work exactly the same way in this sentence, including requiring the same word order. infolgedessen simply sounds slightly more formal and puts a stronger emphasis on the logical, consecutive result.
Why does the adjective regelmäßige end in just an -e?
It follows the definite article Der. Since the noun Niederschlag is masculine and is the subject of the first clause (making it nominative), the adjective takes the standard weak ending -e.
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