Breakdown of Das Kreuzfahrtschiff fährt nächste Woche sicherheitshalber direkt in die Werft, sonst wird es gefährlich.
es
it
in
in
fahren
to drive, to travel
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
gefährlich
dangerous
direkt
direct
nächste Woche
next week
sonst
otherwise, or else
das Kreuzfahrtschiff
the cruise ship
sicherheitshalber
for safety reasons
die Werft
the shipyard
Questions & Answers about Das Kreuzfahrtschiff fährt nächste Woche sicherheitshalber direkt in die Werft, sonst wird es gefährlich.
How does the TeKaMoLo rule apply to the middle part of this sentence?
The rule states that adverbs in the middle of a sentence usually follow the order Temporal (time), Kausal (reason), Modal (manner), and Lokal (place). Here, the sentence perfectly follows this order: nächste Woche is the Temporal part, sicherheitshalber is the Kausal part, and in die Werft is the Lokal part. The word direkt acts as the Modal element describing how the journey happens, slotting in right before the destination.
What kind of word is sicherheitshalber and how does it fit into the sentence structure?
It is a causal adverb meaning 'for safety reasons' or 'as a precaution'. It is formed by taking the noun Sicherheit, adding an s, and attaching the suffix -halber (for the sake of). Using adverbs that end in -halber is a very natural B2-level way to express the 'Kausal' part of the TeKaMoLo rule without having to build a whole new subordinate clause using weil.
Why is the verb wird placed directly after sonst?
The word sonst (otherwise) is used to connect the two clauses, but grammatically it functions as an adverb. This means it takes up Position 1 in its own clause. Since the conjugated verb must always take Position 2 in a main clause, wird comes immediately after sonst, pushing the subject es to Position 3.
Quick refresher: Why do we use the accusative in die Werft here instead of the dative in der Werft?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the cruise ship is actively moving to a destination (sailing into the shipyard), we must use the accusative case to show direction or motion. If the ship were already stationary and we were simply stating its location, we would use the dative case in der Werft.
Learn Das Kreuzfahrtschiff fährt nächste Woche sicherheitshalber direkt in die Werft, sonst wird es gefährlich and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free