Breakdown of Aufgrund des Stresses ist das Vorspiel anstrengend.
sein
to be
der Stress
the stress
anstrengend
exhausting
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
aufgrund
due to
das Vorspiel
the audition
Questions & Answers about Aufgrund des Stresses ist das Vorspiel anstrengend.
Why does Stress have an -es at the end here?
The preposition aufgrund (due to / because of) requires the genitive case. Since Stress is a masculine noun (der Stress), its genitive form takes the article des and adds the ending -es. This extra 'e' is mandatory here because the noun ends in an 's' sound, making it easier to pronounce.
I thought Vorspiel meant 'foreplay' or 'prelude'. How does it mean 'audition' here?
While das Vorspiel translates literally to 'pre-play' and is indeed used for foreplay or a musical prelude, it is also a standard term for a musical or theatrical audition. It comes from the verb vorspielen (to play an instrument or perform for an evaluator).
Why is the verb ist placed before the subject das Vorspiel?
German requires the conjugated verb to sit in the second position of a standard main clause. The entire prepositional block Aufgrund des Stresses counts as position one. Therefore, the verb ist must immediately follow it in position two, pushing the subject das Vorspiel into position three.
Could I use wegen instead of aufgrund in this sentence?
Yes, wegen des Stresses means exactly the same thing. Aufgrund sounds slightly more formal and written than wegen, but both are highly common prepositions that trigger the genitive case to express a cause.
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