Breakdown of Die Nachtschwärmer reden laut, wohingegen der Onkel auf dem Sofa schnarcht.
das Sofa
the sofa
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
laut
loud, loudly
reden
to talk
schnarchen
to snore
der Onkel
the uncle
wohingegen
whereas
der Nachtschwärmer
the night owl
Questions & Answers about Die Nachtschwärmer reden laut, wohingegen der Onkel auf dem Sofa schnarcht.
Why is the verb schnarcht at the very end of the sentence?
The word wohingegen (whereas) is a subordinating conjunction. Just like weil or dass, it introduces a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb, which is schnarcht here, to the very end of that clause.
Could I just use während instead of wohingegen to mean "whereas"?
Yes, während can mean "while" or "whereas" and works perfectly here. However, wohingegen is a great word to use because it specifically emphasizes a stark, direct contrast. While während might just mean two things are happening at the same time, wohingegen makes the contrasting relationship completely unambiguous.
Is Nachtschwärmer the exact equivalent of the English phrase "night owls"?
It translates perfectly in this context, but it has a slightly different flavor. Literally, a Schwärmer (from schwärmen, meaning to swarm or roam) is a reveller. While an English "night owl" might just stay up late reading at home, Nachtschwärmer specifically implies people who are out late at night socializing, partying, or roaming the streets.
Why do we use the dative case in auf dem Sofa?
The preposition auf is a two-way preposition. It takes the dative case when describing a fixed location (answering "where?") and the accusative case when describing movement towards a destination (answering "where to?"). Since the uncle is already on the sofa and simply snoring in that location, we use the dative dem.
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