Breakdown of Die Show war ein Erfolg und die Reaktion war positiv, womit er sehr zufrieden war.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
er
he
und
and
sehr
very
der Erfolg
the success
womit
with what
zufrieden
satisfied, content
positiv
positive
die Show
the show
die Reaktion
the reaction
Questions & Answers about Die Show war ein Erfolg und die Reaktion war positiv, womit er sehr zufrieden war.
Why do we use womit here instead of a normal relative pronoun like mit dem or mit der?
Normal relative pronouns refer back to a specific noun. In this sentence, he isn't just satisfied with the show or the reaction individually, but rather the entire situation described in the first half. When a relative clause refers back to a whole clause or idea, German uses a wo- compound if a preposition is involved.
How do I know to use womit specifically, rather than another compound like worüber or woran?
The choice of compound depends strictly on the verb or adjective in the relative clause. The German expression for 'to be satisfied with' is zufrieden sein mit. Because the preposition must be mit, it combines with wo- to form womit.
In English, we say 'which he was satisfied with', leaving 'with' at the end. Can we split womit in German?
No, German does not allow you to leave a preposition hanging at the end of a clause like we do in English. The compound word womit must stay completely intact and is placed at the very beginning of the relative clause.
What would this look like if the adjective didn't require a preposition?
If you used a phrase without a preposition, you would simply use was instead of a wo- compound to refer to the whole preceding clause. For example, to say 'which pleased him', you would write , was ihn freute.
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