Breakdown of Der Dieb schleicht unbefugt hinter dem Zaun herum.
hinter
behind
der Dieb
the thief
herumschleichen
to sneak around
der Zaun
the fence
unbefugt
unauthorized (without permission or clearance)
Questions & Answers about Der Dieb schleicht unbefugt hinter dem Zaun herum.
The thief is moving around, so why is it hinter dem Zaun (dative) and not hinter den Zaun (accusative)?
Even though sneaking involves movement, the action is happening entirely within one location (behind the fence). Two-way prepositions like hinter only take the accusative when the movement crosses a boundary into a new location. Since he is already behind the fence and just moving around within that space, it answers the question 'where?' and takes the dative.
What is the origin of the word unbefugt?
It comes from the verb befugen (to authorize or empower). Adding the prefix un- and using it as a past participle gives us unbefugt, meaning 'unauthorized' or 'without permission.' You will also commonly see the related noun die Befugnis (authority or clearance) in B2-level texts.
Is herumschleichen always split up like this?
Yes, herumschleichen (to sneak around) is a separable verb. In a main clause in the present tense, the prefix herum- goes to the very end of the sentence. If this were a subordinate clause, it would stick together at the end, for example: Ich glaube, dass der Dieb hinter dem Zaun herumschleicht.
How would I say this in the past tense? Is schleichen a regular verb?
No, schleichen is a strong (irregular) verb. The simple past is schlich, and the past participle is geschlichen. In the spoken past (Perfekt), you would say: Der Dieb ist unbefugt hinter dem Zaun herumgeschlichen. Notice that it uses sein as the helping verb because it expresses a change of position.
Since we are learning about the particle etwa, could I use it in this sentence to show surprise?
You would need to turn the sentence into a question first, as etwa is used this way in questions. You could ask: Schleicht der Dieb etwa unbefugt hinter dem Zaun herum? This translates to 'Is the thief actually sneaking around behind the fence?!' and perfectly expresses disbelief or alarm.
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