Breakdown of Die Wurzel ist meistens länger als der Stamm, wobei wir die Wurzel nicht sehen können.
sein
to be
wir
we
nicht
not
sehen
to see
können
can / to be able to
meistens
mostly / usually
lang
long
als
than
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
wobei
whereby (recognizing that)
der Stamm
the trunk
die Wurzel
the root
Questions & Answers about Die Wurzel ist meistens länger als der Stamm, wobei wir die Wurzel nicht sehen können.
What exactly does wobei mean here, and how is it different from obwohl?
wobei often translates to "whereby", but here it's used to add a restricting side note or caveat, similar to "although" or "mind you". It is softer than obwohl (even though), which usually introduces a stronger, more direct contradiction.
Why does wobei send the conjugated verb können to the end of the sentence?
When used to connect clauses like this, wobei acts as a subordinating conjunction. Just like weil or dass, it introduces a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause.
I always forget when to use als versus wie for comparisons. Why is it als here?
You always use als for unequal comparisons (when something is more or less than something else). Because we have the comparative adjective länger (longer), we must use als. You only use wie for equal comparisons, like so lang wie (as long as).
Since our current lesson is about the preposition anhand (on the basis of), how could we use it to talk about this root and trunk?
While anhand isn't in this specific sentence, you could use it to say we can't judge the root by means of the trunk. For example: Wir können die Wurzel nicht anhand des Stammes beurteilen. Remember that anhand requires the Genitive case, which is why the masculine noun der Stamm becomes des Stammes.
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