Learn German: Sie redet so eingebildet, als wüsste sie alles. - She talks so conceitedly, as if she knew everything.

Sie redet so eingebildet, als wüsste sie alles.

She talks so conceitedly, as if she knew everything.

Breakdown of Sie redet so eingebildet, als wüsste sie alles.

so, such (intensifier)

Questions & Answers about Sie redet so eingebildet, als wüsste sie alles.

Why is the verb wüsste right after als instead of at the end of the clause?

When you use als for an unreal comparison, it acts a bit differently than other conjunctions. It triggers verb-first word order in its clause, meaning the conjugated verb wüsste must come immediately after als.

Why do we use wüsste here instead of the normal present tense weiß?

The word wüsste is the Konjunktiv II form of wissen. We use it here because this is an unreal comparison: she does not actually know everything, she just acts like it. The Konjunktiv II is required for these hypothetical scenarios to show that the statement is not reality.

Could I say als ob instead of just als in this sentence?

Yes, you could say als ob sie alles wüsste. Notice that because ob kicks the verb to the end, the conjugated verb wüsste moves to the very end of the sentence. Using just als with the verb right after it means exactly the same thing but is a very common, slightly more elegant alternative.

The word eingebildet means conceited, but what is its literal background?

It comes from the reflexive verb sich etwas einbilden, which means to imagine something or fool yourself into believing something. So if someone is eingebildet, they literally have an inflated, imagined idea of themselves.