Breakdown of Der Komiker soll vor der Show Lampenfieber haben, womit niemand ein Problem hat.
ein
a, an (eine)
haben
to have
das Problem
the problem
vor
before (in time)
sollen
should / ought to
niemand
no one
womit
with what
der Komiker
the comedian
die Show
the show
das Lampenfieber
the stage fright
Questions & Answers about Der Komiker soll vor der Show Lampenfieber haben, womit niemand ein Problem hat.
Why does this sentence use womit instead of a regular relative pronoun like mit dem?
The relative clause doesn't refer to a single noun here, but to the entire situation described in the first half of the sentence: the fact that the comedian has stage fright. When a relative clause refers back to a whole idea and requires a preposition (because of the phrase ein Problem haben mit), German uses a wo-compound like womit.
Why does soll ... haben translate to "is said to have" instead of "should have"?
This is an example of the subjective use of a modal verb, which is very common at the B2 level. Here, sollen is used to report a rumor or a claim made by others. It means "is said to" or "is supposed to." If it meant "should" (an obligation), it wouldn't make much sense in this context.
Could I separate the preposition in the second clause, like "was niemand ein Problem mit hat"?
No. While conversational English often leaves the preposition at the end of the sentence ("which nobody has a problem with"), German requires you to combine the preposition and the pronoun into a single wo-compound (womit) when referring back to a whole clause. Splitting them is incorrect in standard German.
What is the literal meaning of Lampenfieber?
It literally translates to "lamp fever." It is the standard German word for "stage fright," originating from the nervousness and heat performers experience under bright stage lights.
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