Breakdown of Der Dieb schleicht unbefugt hinter dem Zaun herum.
hinter
behind
der Dieb
the thief
herumschleichen
to sneak around
der Zaun
the fence
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?