Breakdown of Er hat versehentlich das Glas zerbrochen.
er
he
haben
to have
das Glas
the glass
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
zerbrechen
to break (into pieces)
versehentlich
accidentally
Questions & Answers about Er hat versehentlich das Glas zerbrochen.
Why use zerbrochen here instead of just gebrochen?
The inseparable prefix zer- adds the meaning of destruction or breaking something into pieces. While brechen means to break in a general sense (like a bone or a rule), zerbrechen specifically means to shatter or smash something fragile, like glass or porcelain.
Is it also correct to say Er hat das Glas versehentlich zerbrochen?
Yes, and it is actually the more neutral word order! The standard rule is that definite accusative objects (like das Glas) usually come before adverbs of manner (like versehentlich). By placing the adverb first, our example sentence slightly emphasizes the glass itself as new or surprising information.
Is there another common way to say accidentally in German?
Yes! A very common alternative is the phrase aus Versehen. You could rewrite this sentence as Er hat das Glas aus Versehen zerbrochen. Both versehentlich and aus Versehen are built from the noun das Versehen, which means an oversight or mistake.
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