Breakdown of Sie war so schlagfertig, dass sie eine neue Pointe gefunden hat, womit sie die Show gerettet hat.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
sie
she
haben
to have
finden
to find
neu
new
so
so, such (intensifier)
dass
that
womit
with what
retten
to save (rescue)
die Show
the show
schlagfertig
quick-witted
die Pointe
the punchline
Questions & Answers about Sie war so schlagfertig, dass sie eine neue Pointe gefunden hat, womit sie die Show gerettet hat.
Why use womit here instead of mit der to mean "with which"?
If you wanted to refer strictly to the feminine noun die Pointe (the punchline), you would use the relative pronoun mit der. However, womit acts here as a continuative relative pronoun. This means it refers to the entire preceding clause—the whole event of her finding a new punchline is what saved the show. (Note: In casual, spoken German, people sometimes use wo-compounds to refer to specific objects, but grammatically they are meant to refer to a whole previous thought or action).
Why do both of the later clauses end with the verb hat?
Both clauses are subordinate clauses, which forces the conjugated verb (hat) to the very end. The first is introduced by the conjunction dass, and the second is a relative clause introduced by womit. Because the sentence describes two completed past actions (finding and saving), both clauses are in the perfect tense (gefunden hat, gerettet hat).
What is the literal meaning of the word schlagfertig?
It literally translates to "ready to strike" or "ready for a blow" (der Schlag meaning the hit/strike, and fertig meaning ready or finished). It is the standard German word for being "quick-witted"—describing someone who always has a fast, clever comeback ready.
Pointe looks like a French word. How is it pronounced in German?
You spotted it! Pointe is a French loanword meaning "punchline." German speakers keep a partially French pronunciation, saying it roughly like "Po-ang-tuh" (with a nasal vowel sound in the middle and a soft 'e' at the end). Despite its foreign origin, it behaves like a normal feminine German noun (die Pointe).
Learn Sie war so schlagfertig, dass sie eine neue Pointe gefunden hat, womit sie die Show gerettet hat 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