Breakdown of Wir haben aufgrund der Rezession viel Kapital verloren.
haben
to have
wir
we
viel
much / a lot
verlieren
to lose
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
aufgrund
due to
die Rezession
the recession
das Kapital
the capital (money, assets)
Questions & Answers about Wir haben aufgrund der Rezession viel Kapital verloren.
This lesson focuses on changing clauses into prepositional phrases (like obwohl to trotz). How does aufgrund fit into this, and what would the original full clause look like?
Just as trotz is the prepositional version of obwohl (although), aufgrund is the prepositional equivalent of causal conjunctions like weil or da (because). To reverse the nominalization in this sentence and make it a full clause again, you could say: Wir haben viel Kapital verloren, weil es eine Rezession gab (because there was a recession).
Why is the feminine noun Rezession preceded by the article der?
The preposition aufgrund (due to) requires the Genitive case. Since Rezession is a feminine noun (die Rezession), its definite article changes to der in the Genitive. This is exactly the same case rule you are practicing with trotz in this lesson.
Could I use wegen instead of aufgrund in this sentence?
Yes! Wegen der Rezession means exactly the same thing. Aufgrund sounds slightly more formal or written, making it very common in business contexts like this one about losing capital. In standard German, both prepositions take the Genitive case.
Why is the causal phrase aufgrund der Rezession placed before the direct object viel Kapital?
This follows the standard German word order rule where adverbial phrases (like time, cause, manner, and place) generally come before the direct Accusative object. Since aufgrund der Rezession explains the cause of the action, it naturally sits before the object viel Kapital.
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