Breakdown of Ausgerechnet er hat sich heute ausgesperrt.
er
he
haben
to have
heute
today
ausgerechnet
of all things
sich aussperren
to lock oneself out
Questions & Answers about Ausgerechnet er hat sich heute ausgesperrt.
How does the focus particle ausgerechnet change the meaning of this sentence?
It adds a strong sense of irony, surprise, or annoyance. While the sentence without it just states a fact, adding ausgerechnet right before er translates to "of all people, he did it!" — implying that perhaps he is a locksmith, or he is usually the one reminding others to take their keys.
If the verb must be in the second position, why does hat come after the two words Ausgerechnet er?
The verb hat actually is in the second position! Focus particles like ausgerechnet latch directly onto the word they emphasize to form a single phrase. Together, the block Ausgerechnet er takes up the entire first position of the sentence, leaving the verb in the standard second position.
How is the past participle ausgesperrt formed here?
The infinitive is sich aussperren (to lock oneself out). Because it is a separable verb, the prefix aus- and the core verb sperren split when forming the past participle. The typical -ge- marker for the perfect tense is sandwiched right between them, resulting in ausgesperrt.
Could I place heute before sich, as in hat heute sich ausgesperrt?
No, that would sound unnatural. In German main clauses, pronouns like the reflexive sich want to sit as close to the conjugated verb as possible. Therefore, sich will almost always jump in front of adverbs of time like heute.
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