Breakdown of Der Löwe fing an zu brüllen, nachdem der Gepard verschwunden war.
sein
to be
anfangen
to start
der Löwe
the lion
zu
to (infinitive marker)
verschwinden
to disappear
nachdem
after
brüllen
to roar
der Gepard
the cheetah
Questions & Answers about Der Löwe fing an zu brüllen, nachdem der Gepard verschwunden war.
How would we rewrite this sentence using the kaum ..., als ... structure from this lesson?
To say "Hardly had the cheetah disappeared when the lion started to roar," you would write: Kaum war der Gepard verschwunden, als der Löwe anfing zu brüllen. Notice how starting with kaum triggers subject-verb inversion (war der Gepard), and als acts as a subordinating conjunction, sending the conjugated verb to the end of the second clause (anfing).
Why do we use the past perfect (verschwunden war) instead of just the simple past or present perfect?
The conjunction nachdem (after) requires strict temporal sequencing. Because the lion started roaring in the past (fing an, which is Präteritum), the action that happened before that must be in the past perfect (Plusquamperfekt) to show it was already entirely completed: verschwunden war (had disappeared).
Why does the first clause end with an zu brüllen? Is that a single verb?
No, these are two separate verb components. The main verb is the separable anfangen (to begin/start). In the simple past, it splits to form fing ... an. The zu brüllen (to roar) is a standard infinitive phrase that relies on anfangen. Together they form fing an zu brüllen (started to roar).
Could we swap the order of the clauses?
Yes! You can put the subordinate clause first for emphasis: Nachdem der Gepard verschwunden war, fing der Löwe an zu brüllen. Just remember that when you start the sentence with the dependent clause, the main clause immediately following the comma must start with its verb (fing) due to the standard verb-second rule in German main clauses.
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