Breakdown of Der Klimawandel verursacht dem Wetterbericht zufolge eine Hitzewelle.
ein
a, an (eine)
verursachen
to cause
zufolge
according to (often follows the noun)
die Hitzewelle
the heatwave
der Wetterbericht
the weather report
der Klimawandel
the climate change
Questions & Answers about Der Klimawandel verursacht dem Wetterbericht zufolge eine Hitzewelle.
Why does zufolge come after dem Wetterbericht instead of before it?
Zufolge acts as a postposition here, meaning it is placed immediately after the noun it refers to. When used this way to mean "according to," it always takes the dative case, which is why we use dem Wetterbericht.
Can I move the phrase dem Wetterbericht zufolge to the start of the sentence?
Yes, you can move the entire block to position 1 to emphasize the source. The conjugated verb must still come second, so the sentence would be: Dem Wetterbericht zufolge verursacht der Klimawandel eine Hitzewelle. You cannot, however, start the sentence with just the word Zufolge.
How does zufolge compare to laut or nach, which also mean "according to"?
While they are very similar, laut and nach are standard prepositions that come before the noun. Zufolge is especially common in journalism, news, and official reports because it clearly signals that you are just passing on information from an external source.
Why does the source phrase appear right before eine Hitzewelle?
In German sentence structure, adverbial phrases (giving background info like time, manner, or source) generally come before the direct object. Since eine Hitzewelle is the direct object receiving the action, the source phrase naturally slots in right before it.
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