Breakdown of Die Ameise arbeitet bedeutend härter, um zu überleben.
arbeiten
to work
um ... zu
in order to
hart
hard, tough
überleben
to survive
die Ameise
the ant
bedeutend
considerably
Questions & Answers about Die Ameise arbeitet bedeutend härter, um zu überleben.
How does bedeutend function here, and could I use other intensifiers like weitaus?
bedeutend translates to "considerably" or "significantly" and is used here as a degree adverb to intensify the comparative härter. You can absolutely swap it with weitaus or wesentlich in this sentence, and the meaning will remain exactly the same.
Why is it zu überleben and not überzuleben? Isn't über- a separable prefix?
The prefix über- is a two-way prefix, meaning it can be separable or inseparable depending on the verb. For überleben (to survive), it is inseparable. Because it doesn't separate, the zu simply goes in front of the whole verb instead of squeezing between the prefix and the root.
Why do we need the word um before zu überleben?
The structure um ... zu plus an infinitive expresses purpose, translating directly to "in order to". If you left out um, the sentence wouldn't clearly express the intent behind why the ant works harder.
Why does the adjective hart get an umlaut when it becomes härter?
Many short, single-syllable adjectives that contain an "a", "o", or "u" take an umlaut when forming the comparative and superlative. That is why hart (hard) changes its vowel to become härter (harder).
Learn Die Ameise arbeitet bedeutend härter, um zu überleben and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free