Breakdown of Bezüglich der Deckung müssen wir den Vertrag lesen.
wir
we
lesen
to read
müssen
to have to, must
der Vertrag
the contract
Questions & Answers about Bezüglich der Deckung müssen wir den Vertrag lesen.
Why does the sentence use der Deckung instead of die Deckung?
The preposition bezüglich requires the genitive case. Since Deckung is a feminine noun (die Deckung), its genitive definite article is der.
Could I use hinsichtlich in this sentence instead?
Yes, hinsichtlich and bezüglich are almost completely interchangeable. They both mean 'regarding' or 'with respect to' and both require the genitive case. You could say Hinsichtlich der Deckung... with no change in meaning. Both sound quite formal and are very common in business or legal contexts.
Why does the verb müssen come before the subject wir?
This is due to the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire prepositional phrase Bezüglich der Deckung counts as a single block occupying the first position in the sentence. The conjugated verb müssen must take the second position, which forces the subject wir to move to the third position right after the verb.
How would I say this in casual spoken German if I want to avoid the formal genitive?
In everyday speech, Germans often avoid formal prepositions like bezüglich. You might hear a phrase like Was die Deckung angeht, ... or Was die Deckung betrifft, ... (As far as the coverage is concerned), followed by the rest of the sentence.