Breakdown of Der Student musste nachweisen, dass er ausreichend Geld und die Zustimmung der Eltern hat.
er
he
und
and
haben
to have
das Geld
the money
die Eltern
the parents
müssen
to have to, must
dass
that
der Student
the university student
ausreichend
sufficient
die Zustimmung
the consent
nachweisen
to prove (provide evidence of, detect)
Questions & Answers about Der Student musste nachweisen, dass er ausreichend Geld und die Zustimmung der Eltern hat.
Why does the sentence use the present tense hat at the end, even though the main clause is in the past tense (musste)?
In English, we typically match tenses: "He had to prove that he had..." German is less strict about the sequence of tenses. When expressing a fact or statement in a subordinate clause (with dass), German often keeps the tense that was true at the time. At the time he was proving it, the fact was "I have the money," so German uses the present tense hat.
What is the difference between nachweisen and beweisen, since both translate to "to prove"?
Beweisen is used for proving facts, theories, or guilt (like solving a crime or a math theorem). Nachweisen is specifically used for providing official or documentary evidence for administrative purposes—such as proving your identity, your income, or, as in this sentence, that you have the required funds (Geld) and consent (Zustimmung).
Why isn't ausreichend declined here? Shouldn't it be ausreichendes Geld since Geld is a neuter noun?
You can sometimes see it declined as ausreichendes Geld, but words expressing quantity like ausreichend (sufficient) and genug (enough) are very often left undeclined when they describe uncountable nouns. In this structure, ausreichend functions more like an uninflected adverb of quantity than a standard adjective.
Why does the sentence use der Eltern instead of die Eltern?
This is a quick refresher on the genitive case. Die Zustimmung der Eltern translates literally to "the consent of the parents." Because it shows possession or belonging, Eltern (which is always plural) takes the plural genitive definite article, which is der.
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