Breakdown of Der Klang ist überraschend, denn der Lautsprecher kann mit teuren Modellen mithalten.
sein
to be
teuer
expensive
können
can / to be able to
mit
with
denn
because
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Modell
the model
der Lautsprecher
the speaker
überraschend
surprisingly (modifying an adjective or verb)
der Klang
the sound
mithalten
to keep up
Questions & Answers about Der Klang ist überraschend, denn der Lautsprecher kann mit teuren Modellen mithalten.
How could I express this same idea using the lesson's target structure 'dafür, dass'?
You could express the same surprise by saying: Dafür, dass er nicht teuer ist, kann der Lautsprecher mit teuren Modellen mithalten. (For the fact that it is not expensive, the speaker can keep up with expensive models). The phrase dafür, dass neatly bundles the surprise and the contrast into one dependent clause, replacing the need to explicitly say überraschend, denn.
What is the grammar behind 'teuren Modellen'?
The preposition mit always forces the dative case. Here we have a plural noun without an article (like a 'the' or 'my' in front of it). Therefore, the adjective teuer takes the strong dative plural ending -en. Additionally, the noun Modell adds an -n in the dative plural, becoming Modellen.
I see a comma before 'denn'. Does 'denn' send the verb to the end of the clause?
No, denn is a coordinating conjunction (occupying 'position 0'), so it does not change the word order. The subject der Lautsprecher takes position 1, and the conjugated verb kann stays in its normal position 2. If you had used weil instead of denn, the verb kann would have moved to the very end.
How exactly does 'mithalten' work here?
mithalten is a separable verb meaning to 'keep up' or 'compete'. When you want to specify who or what you are keeping up with, you use the preposition mit followed by the dative case. In this sentence, the speaker is keeping up mit teuren Modellen (with expensive models).
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