Breakdown of Schimpansen sind bedeutend intelligenter, als sie oft wirken.
sein
to be
oft
often
sie
they
als
than
Questions & Answers about Schimpansen sind bedeutend intelligenter, als sie oft wirken.
What role does bedeutend play in this sentence, and how is it different from just using viel?
Here, bedeutend acts as a degree adverb intensifying the comparative intelligenter to mean considerably more intelligent. While you could simply use viel (much) to say viel intelligenter, words like bedeutend, wesentlich, and weitaus elevate your German to a B2 level. They sound slightly more formal and add a stronger, more precise emphasis to the comparison.
Why is there a comma before als in this sentence?
The comma is required because als is introducing a full subordinate clause. You can tell it is a full clause because it has its own subject (sie) and a conjugated verb (wirken). If the comparison did not have a conjugated verb, like in the phrase intelligenter als Hunde (more intelligent than dogs), you would not use a comma.
Why does the verb wirken go at the very end of the sentence?
When als (than) connects a main clause to a full comparative clause, it acts as a subordinating conjunction. Just like with words such as dass or weil, this subordinate structure forces the conjugated verb (wirken) to the very end of its clause.
Could I use aussehen instead of wirken to mean appear here?