Breakdown of Der Lehrplan fordert einen Aufsatz. Stattdessen bearbeiten wir nur das Arbeitsblatt.
ein
a, an (eine)
wir
we
nur
only
bearbeiten
to edit
stattdessen
instead
fordern
to demand (formally, to claim)
der Lehrplan
the curriculum
das Arbeitsblatt
the worksheet
der Aufsatz
the essay
Questions & Answers about Der Lehrplan fordert einen Aufsatz. Stattdessen bearbeiten wir nur das Arbeitsblatt.
Why does bearbeiten come right after Stattdessen?
Stattdessen is an adverbial connector meaning "instead". It takes up the first position in the sentence. Because German main clauses follow the V2 rule (the conjugated verb must be in the second position), the verb bearbeiten comes immediately after it, pushing the subject wir to the third position.
Could I just use statt here instead of stattdessen?
No. Statt is a preposition meaning "instead of" and must be followed directly by a noun in the genitive case (for example, statt eines Aufsatzes). Stattdessen is an adverb meaning "instead of that". It stands alone and refers back to the entire previous idea to connect the two sentences.
Why use bearbeiten instead of just arbeiten for "working on"?
Arbeiten is an intransitive verb and cannot take a direct object, so you would need to add a preposition (for example, wir arbeiten an dem Arbeitsblatt). Bearbeiten is a transitive verb that takes a direct accusative object, allowing you to concisely say das Arbeitsblatt bearbeiten without any extra prepositions.
Is there a difference between fordern and fördern?
Yes, they are very different but frequently mixed up! Fordern (used here) means to demand, require, or claim. Fördern (with the umlaut) means to support, promote, or encourage.
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