Breakdown of Während wir Kakao genießen, profitieren die Produzenten kaum.
wir
we
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
genießen
to enjoy
während
while
kaum
hardly, barely
der Produzent
the producer
profitieren
to profit
der Kakao
the cocoa
Questions & Answers about Während wir Kakao genießen, profitieren die Produzenten kaum.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb profitieren?
The first part of the sentence, Während wir Kakao genießen, is a dependent clause that acts as the first block of information (Position 1) for the main sentence. Because German main clauses require the verb in Position 2, the verb profitieren must come immediately after the comma.
Is während acting as a preposition or a conjunction here?
It is a subordinating conjunction here, expressing a contrast (meaning 'while' or 'whereas'). It connects two clauses and pushes the verb (genießen) to the end of its clause. When während is used as a preposition (meaning 'during'), it is followed by a noun in the genitive case rather than a full clause.
Our current lesson is about inwieweit and inwiefern (to what extent). How could we form a follow-up question about the producers using one of these words?
You could ask: Inwieweit profitieren die Produzenten? (To what extent do the producers profit?) Both inwieweit and inwiefern work perfectly as question words here and are followed by standard question word order where the verb takes the second position.
How exactly is kaum used in German sentences compared to English?
kaum translates to 'hardly', 'barely', or 'scarcely'. Just like 'hardly' in English, it already carries a negative meaning, so you do not need to add nicht to the sentence. It is an unchangeable adverb and is usually placed directly after the verb or near the end of the clause.
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