Learn German: Sie wirkt hochnäsig, als wäre sie reich. - She appears snooty, as if she were rich.

Sie wirkt hochnäsig, als wäre sie reich.

She appears snooty, as if she were rich.

Breakdown of Sie wirkt hochnäsig, als wäre sie reich.

as if (irreal comparison)

Questions & Answers about Sie wirkt hochnäsig, als wäre sie reich.

Why does the verb wäre come immediately after als instead of at the end of the clause?

In German, when you use als by itself to mean "as if" for an unreal comparison, the conjugated verb must come first in that clause. This is called V1 word order. If you used als ob ("as if") instead, the verb would be pushed to the very end of the sentence: ... als ob sie reich wäre.

Why do we use the Konjunktiv II form wäre instead of the regular present tense ist?

Because this is an unreal comparison. The speaker implies that she probably isn't rich, but she acts like she is. The Konjunktiv II mood (wäre) is required here to show that the situation is hypothetical or contrary to reality.

Could I use sieht ... aus instead of wirkt in this sentence?

You could, but it changes the focus slightly. Aussehen refers strictly to physical appearance, such as wearing expensive clothes. Wirken means "to come across as" or "to seem," which describes someone's overall behavior or attitude. Because hochnäsig (snooty) is a personality trait, wirkt is the more natural choice here.

How is the word hochnäsig formed?

It literally translates to "high-nosed," combining hoch (high) and Nase (nose) with the adjective ending -ig. It is a visual and memorable way to describe someone who walks around with their nose in the air, meaning they are arrogant or stuck-up.