Breakdown of Dank dem Mechaniker fährt der Oldtimer endlich wieder.
fahren
to drive, to travel
wieder
again
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Mechaniker
the mechanic
endlich
at last
dank
thanks to
der Oldtimer
the classic car
Questions & Answers about Dank dem Mechaniker fährt der Oldtimer endlich wieder.
Why is it dem Mechaniker here? Could I use the Genitive case instead?
Yes, you can! The preposition dank is special because it can take either the Dative or the Genitive case. Both dank dem Mechaniker (Dative) and dank des Mechanikers (Genitive) are completely correct. The Dative is very common in everyday German, while the Genitive sounds slightly more formal or written.
Why does the verb fährt come before the subject der Oldtimer?
This is a great reminder of the German "verb-second" rule. The entire prepositional phrase Dank dem Mechaniker takes up the first position in the sentence. Because the conjugated verb must be in position two, the subject der Oldtimer is pushed to position three.
Wait, doesn't Oldtimer mean an old person?
Not in German! Der Oldtimer is a false friend (specifically, a pseudo-anglicism). In German, it almost exclusively refers to a classic or vintage car. If you want to talk about an elderly person, you would use a term like der Senior or ein älterer Mensch.
Why does the German sentence use fährt instead of a literal word for "running"?
In English, we say a car is "running" to mean it is functioning again. In German, a vehicle that is successfully operating and moving on the road fährt (drives/goes). If you specifically meant that the engine is turned on and idling (even if parked), you would use the verb laufen (der Motor läuft). But for a repaired car getting back on the road, fahren is the natural choice.
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