Breakdown of Wegen der schlechten Logistik wussten wir nichts über die Verzögerung.
wir
we
schlecht
bad
nichts
nothing
über
about (a topic)
wissen
to know (a fact)
wegen
because of
die Logistik
the logistics
die Verzögerung
the delay (process, project)
Questions & Answers about Wegen der schlechten Logistik wussten wir nichts über die Verzögerung.
How would I express this exact same idea using a weil clause instead of wegen?
You would expand the noun phrase into a full subordinate clause with a subject and a verb. For example: Weil die Logistik schlecht war, wussten wir nichts über die Verzögerung. This lesson focuses on doing the reverse: condensing a clause into a prepositional phrase using wegen plus the genitive case.
Since Logistik is a feminine noun, why does the sentence use der and schlechten?
The preposition wegen requires the genitive case. In the genitive, the feminine definite article die changes to der. The adjective schlecht then takes the weak ending -en because it follows a definite article in the genitive case.
Why does the verb wussten come before the subject wir?
German relies on the V2 rule, meaning the conjugated verb must be the second element in a main clause. The entire causal phrase Wegen der schlechten Logistik counts as one single block taking up position one. Therefore, the verb wussten must immediately follow it, pushing the subject wir to position three.
Could I use von der Verzögerung instead of über die Verzögerung?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in meaning. Wissen über generally means knowing facts, context, or details about a topic, and it takes the accusative case. Wissen von takes the dative case and simply means being aware that something exists. Using über here emphasizes that they lacked any factual information regarding the delay.
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