Breakdown of Die Gewohnheit ist insofern negativ, als man zu wenig Protein isst.
sein
to be
essen
to eat
zu
too (e.g., too big)
man
one / you (impersonal)
die Gewohnheit
the habit
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
wenig
little, few
insofern
insofar
als
as (in "insofar as")
negativ
negative
das Protein
the protein
Questions & Answers about Die Gewohnheit ist insofern negativ, als man zu wenig Protein isst.
Why is insofern separated from als here, instead of being written together?
insofern and als work together as a two-part conjunction meaning 'insofar as' or 'to the extent that'. In this sentence, insofern acts as an adverb in the main clause modifying negativ, while als acts as a subordinating conjunction introducing the dependent clause.
Does als always send the verb to the end of the sentence like isst does here?
When als is used as a subordinating conjunction (such as meaning 'when' for a past event, or 'as' in restrictive constructs like insofern, als), it kicks the conjugated verb to the end of the clause. However, when als is used merely for comparisons (like größer als for 'bigger than'), it does not change the word order.
Can I use dass instead of als and say insofern, dass?
You will often hear native speakers say insofern, dass in casual speech, but it is technically considered incorrect in standard German. For your B2 exams and formal writing, always pair it correctly as insofern, als.
Why is it zu wenig Protein without an adjective ending on wenig?
The words wenig (little) and viel (much) generally do not take adjective endings when they are used with singular, uncountable nouns like Protein, Wasser, or Geld.
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