Breakdown of Der Besserwisser benimmt sich, als wäre er perfekt.
sein
to be
er
he
perfekt
perfect / perfectly
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Besserwisser
the know-it-all
sich benehmen
to behave (manners)
als
as if (irreal comparison)
Questions & Answers about Der Besserwisser benimmt sich, als wäre er perfekt.
Why is the verb wäre right after als instead of at the end of the clause?
When using als to mean as if for a hypothetical comparison, German places the conjugated verb immediately after als. This is a special Verb-first structure. If you used als ob instead, the verb would go to the very end of the sentence.
Why is it wäre and not ist?
The verb is in the Konjunktiv II (Subjunctive II) form because the comparison is not real. The person is acting perfect, but they are not actually perfect.
Does benehmen always need sich?
Yes, when it means to behave, the verb is sich benehmen. It is a reflexive verb in German, so the subject Der Besserwisser requires the third-person reflexive pronoun sich.
How exactly is the word Besserwisser built?
It literally translates to better-knower. It combines besser (better) and Wisser (knower, derived from the verb wissen). It is the standard everyday German word for a know-it-all.
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