Breakdown of Aufgrund der Verzögerung ist der Engpass noch schlimmer.
sein
to be
noch
still / yet
schlimm
bad / awful (severe)
aufgrund
due to
der Engpass
the bottleneck
die Verzögerung
the delay (process, project)
Questions & Answers about Aufgrund der Verzögerung ist der Engpass noch schlimmer.
How would this sentence look if we used a weil clause instead of aufgrund?
To change this nominalized phrase back into a causal clause, you need to turn the noun die Verzögerung into an action or use it with a verb. You could say: Weil es eine Verzögerung gibt, ist der Engpass noch schlimmer. (Because there is a delay...) or Weil sich alles verzögert, ist der Engpass noch schlimmer. (Because everything is delayed...).
Why is it der Verzögerung when the noun is feminine (die Verzögerung)?
The preposition aufgrund requires the genitive case. In the genitive case, the feminine definite article die changes to der. It looks identical to the masculine nominative article, but here it simply shows the grammatical case triggered by aufgrund.
English uses a comma after 'delay', but German doesn't use one after Verzögerung. Why is that?
In English, introductory prepositional phrases are often separated by a comma. In German, the entire phrase Aufgrund der Verzögerung simply occupies the first position of the main clause. The conjugated verb ist must strictly take the second position, and you never separate position one from position two with a comma.
Is der Engpass only used for physical bottlenecks, like a narrow road?
While it literally comes from eng (narrow) and der Pass (pass), at the B2 level you will frequently encounter it in business, news, and daily life to mean a 'shortage' or a 'supply crisis'. For example, ein Engpass an Personal means a staff shortage.
What is the function of noch before schlimmer?
When you put noch before a comparative adjective like schlimmer (worse), it translates to 'even'. Therefore, noch schlimmer means 'even worse'. This is the standard way to emphasize a comparison in German.
Learn Aufgrund der Verzögerung ist der Engpass noch schlimmer and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free