Breakdown of Sperrt er sich aus, wird er panisch.
er
he
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
panisch
panicky
sich aussperren
to lock oneself out
Questions & Answers about Sperrt er sich aus, wird er panisch.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Sperrt instead of Wenn?
In German, you can drop wenn (if) to form a conditional clause. When you do this, the conjugated verb moves to the very first position, just like in a yes/no question. The main clause that follows still begins with its verb (wird), keeping a strict verb-comma-verb structure between the two clauses.
How does the verb sich aussperren work in this clause?
It is a separable reflexive verb meaning 'to lock oneself out'. Because the conjugated verb sperrt moves to the beginning of the clause to replace wenn, the separable prefix aus is pushed to the very end of that clause, right before the comma. The reflexive pronoun sich comes immediately after the subject er.
Why is it wird er panisch rather than using a direct verb for 'to panic'?
While English relies on the verb 'to panic', German most commonly expresses this as a change of state using werden: panisch werden (literally 'to become panicked'). You might occasionally hear the colloquial verb paniken, but combining the adjective panisch with werden, or using the phrase in Panik geraten, is much more natural and standard.
Where would I put the focus particle ausgerechnet to say 'If of all people HE locks himself out, he panics'?
A focus particle usually sits directly in front of the element it emphasizes. To put the focus on the subject er (he), you would place it right before the pronoun: Sperrt ausgerechnet er sich aus, wird er panisch. If you wanted to focus on the unfortunate action of locking himself out, it would go before the prefix: Sperrt er sich ausgerechnet aus...
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