Breakdown of Wir verdächtigen den Chef der Tat, weswegen der Vorwurf ernst ist.
sein
to be
wir
we
der Chef
the boss (male)
ernst
serious (grave)
die Tat
the deed, the act
weswegen
which is why
verdächtigen
to suspect (someone of wrongdoing)
der Vorwurf
the accusation
Questions & Answers about Wir verdächtigen den Chef der Tat, weswegen der Vorwurf ernst ist.
Why is it der Tat instead of a prepositional phrase like "von der Tat"?
The verb verdächtigen (to suspect) strictly requires the genitive case for the thing the person is suspected of. In English we use "of", but in German, the genitive object der Tat handles this entirely on its own. Using a preposition here would be incorrect.
Is den Chef also affected by the genitive rule?
No, den Chef is in the accusative case. Verbs of accusing or suspecting like verdächtigen take a two-case structure: the person being suspected is the direct object (accusative), and the crime or action they are suspected of is the genitive object. The pattern is always "jemanden (Acc) einer Sache (Gen) verdächtigen".
How does weswegen work in the second half of the sentence?
weswegen means "which is why" or "because of which". It acts as a relative adverb that points back to the entire first clause to explain the consequence. Because it introduces a dependent clause, it forces the conjugated verb ist to the very end of the sentence.
Could I use deswegen instead of weswegen here?
Not with this exact punctuation. deswegen means "therefore" and is a main clause adverb, not a relative connecting word. To use it, you would need to start a new main clause, usually after a period: "Wir verdächtigen den Chef der Tat. Deswegen ist der Vorwurf ernst."
Does die Tat just mean "the deed" or does it have a specific legal meaning?
While die Tat broadly means "deed" or "action", in this context (and generally when paired with police vocabulary), it specifically means "the crime" or "the offense". You see this same root in der Tatort (the crime scene) and der Täter (the perpetrator).
Learn Wir verdächtigen den Chef der Tat, weswegen der Vorwurf ernst ist and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free