Breakdown of Dem Gesetz entsprechend darf hier niemand parken.
hier
here
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
parken
to park
niemand
no one
das Gesetz
the law
entsprechend
according to (in accordance with)
Questions & Answers about Dem Gesetz entsprechend darf hier niemand parken.
Why does entsprechend come after Dem Gesetz instead of before it?
Entsprechend is one of a few German prepositions that frequently acts as a 'postposition' — meaning it is placed after the noun it refers to. While you can sometimes put it before the noun (entsprechend dem Gesetz), placing it after (dem Gesetz entsprechend) is much more common and sounds highly natural.
Why is the phrase Dem Gesetz in the dative case here?
The preposition entsprechend strictly requires its object to be in the dative case. Because Gesetz is a neuter noun (das Gesetz), its dative article is dem.
Why does the verb darf come immediately after entsprechend?
This is a great example of the strict V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire chunk Dem Gesetz entsprechend acts as a single unit occupying the first position in the sentence. The conjugated verb darf must immediately follow it to take position 2, pushing the subject (niemand) to position 3.
Could I use laut or nach instead of entsprechend in this sentence?
Yes, they are very close in meaning but have slight nuances. Entsprechend emphasizes acting in conformity or compliance with a rule (in compliance with the law). Laut focuses more on quoting a source (as stated by the law), while nach is a more general 'according to.' Additionally, entsprechend is the only one of the three that naturally sits after the noun.
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