Breakdown of Die Wohnung ist teils verfallen, teils extrem sanierungsbedürftig.
sein
to be
die Wohnung
the apartment
extrem
extremely
teils
partly
verfallen
dilapidated
sanierungsbedürftig
in need of renovation
Questions & Answers about Die Wohnung ist teils verfallen, teils extrem sanierungsbedürftig.
How does the structure teils ..., teils ... work here, and is the comma required?
The phrase teils ..., teils ... is a multi-part conjunction meaning partly this, partly that. It links two equal elements in the sentence, which in this case are the adjectives verfallen and extrem sanierungsbedürftig. You must always use a comma before the second teils.
How is the compound adjective sanierungsbedürftig built?
It combines the noun Sanierung (renovation or refurbishment) and the adjective bedürftig (in need of), joined by a connecting -s-. You will see the useful suffix -bedürftig attached to other nouns too, such as hilfsbedürftig (in need of help) or pflegebedürftig (in need of care).
Why is there no verb after the comma in the second half of the sentence?
The verb ist applies to both halves of the description. Because the conjunction links two parallel adjectives, the verb and subject do not need to be repeated in the second half. If written out fully, it would be: Die Wohnung ist teils verfallen, teils ist sie extrem sanierungsbedürftig.
Is verfallen acting as a verb or an adjective in this sentence?
Here it is used as an adjective meaning dilapidated or ruined. It is actually the past participle of the strong verb verfallen (to decay). German frequently uses past participles as standalone adjectives to describe a state resulting from an action.
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