Breakdown of Diese Behauptung widerspricht der Wahrheit.
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
die Wahrheit
the truth
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Behauptung
the claim (assertion)
widersprechen
to contradict
Questions & Answers about Diese Behauptung widerspricht der Wahrheit.
How does the prefix wider- affect the meaning of sprechen in this sentence?
The prefix wider- means "against" or "in opposition to". Added to sprechen (to speak), it creates widersprechen, meaning "to contradict" or "to speak against". In this verb, wider- is inseparable, meaning it never detaches from the verb root.
Is the prefix wider- here related to the word wieder (again)?
No, although they are pronounced exactly the same, they have different spellings and completely different meanings. wider- (without the 'e') means "against", as seen here in widersprechen. wieder- (with an 'e') means "again", as in wiedersehen (to see again).
Why does the sentence use der Wahrheit instead of die Wahrheit?
The verb widersprechen always requires a dative object to indicate who or what is being contradicted. Because Wahrheit (truth) is a feminine noun, its article changes from die to der in the dative case.
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