Breakdown of Er fand es schwierig, dem Tempolimit entsprechend zu fahren.
er
he
es
it
finden
to find
fahren
to drive, to travel
Questions & Answers about Er fand es schwierig, dem Tempolimit entsprechend zu fahren.
Why does entsprechend come after dem Tempolimit instead of before it?
The word entsprechend frequently acts as a postposition, meaning it is placed after the noun it modifies. Whether it comes before or after the noun, it requires the dative case (which is why we see dem Tempolimit). Placing it after the noun is very common and sounds highly natural in German.
Doesn't entsprechend look like a participle? Is it a preposition here?
It is technically both! It originated as the present participle of the verb entsprechen (to correspond to), which naturally takes a dative object. Over time, it evolved to act like a preposition (or postposition) meaning 'according to' or 'in accordance with.'
What is the purpose of es in Er fand es schwierig? Can I leave it out?
You cannot leave it out here. The word es acts as a placeholder (often called a correlate) for the infinitive clause that comes later (dem Tempolimit entsprechend zu fahren). The phrase etwas schwierig finden (to find something difficult) requires an object, so es fills that grammatical slot until the actual action is revealed at the end of the sentence.
Could I use nach here instead of entsprechend to mean 'according to'?
It would be understood, but entsprechend is a much better fit for this context. While nach often implies 'in someone's opinion' (meiner Meinung nach) or following a set sequence/plan, entsprechend specifically means complying with or adapting to a rule or condition, which perfectly describes matching your driving to a speed limit.