Breakdown of Niemand weiß, ob das Manuskript ein Bestseller wird.
ein
a, an (eine)
wissen
to know (a fact)
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
niemand
no one
ob
whether / if
das Manuskript
the manuscript
der Bestseller
the bestseller
Questions & Answers about Niemand weiß, ob das Manuskript ein Bestseller wird.
The English translation uses the word 'if'. Why does the German sentence use ob instead of wenn?
English uses 'if' for both conditions ('If it rains...') and indirect questions ('I do not know if...'). German strictly separates them. You use ob (whether) for indirect yes/no questions like this one. You use wenn for conditional statements. Because nobody knows 'whether or not' it will happen, ob is the only correct choice here.
Does wird mean 'will' or 'become' in this sentence?
Here, wird is the main verb meaning 'becomes' (from werden). It is a common trap for English speakers to use the false friend bekommen for 'to become', but bekommen actually means 'to get' or 'to receive'. Since German often uses the present tense for future events, wird simply translates to 'will become' in English.
Why isn't the future tense used here, like werden wird?
While you could technically say ... ob das Manuskript ein Bestseller werden wird, it sounds unnecessarily clunky. German frequently uses the present tense to talk about the future as long as the context makes it clear. Using the simple present wird is much more natural and common.
Why is wird placed at the very end of the sentence?
The word ob is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of that clause. The main clause is Niemand weiß, and in the dependent clause, the verb wird is pushed to the final position.
Learn Niemand weiß, ob das Manuskript ein Bestseller wird 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