Breakdown of Dieser Hausverwaltung, der haben wir schon gesagt, dass es extrem hellhörig ist.
sein
to be
es
it
haben
to have
wir
we
Questions & Answers about Dieser Hausverwaltung, der haben wir schon gesagt, dass es extrem hellhörig ist.
Why is the sentence structured as Dieser Hausverwaltung, der haben wir... instead of just starting with Wir haben...?
This is an example of left dislocation (Linksverschiebung), a common feature in spoken German. The speaker takes the most important piece of information (the property management) and moves it to the very front to emphasize it. To link it back to the main clause, they use the demonstrative pronoun der right after it, which fills the first position of the main clause.
Why are both Dieser Hausverwaltung and the pronoun der in the dative case?
Even though Dieser Hausverwaltung is placed outside the main clause for emphasis, it logically acts as the indirect object of the verb sagen (to tell someone). The verb sagen requires a dative object for the person being told. The resuming pronoun der must match both the gender (feminine for die Verwaltung) and the case (dative) of the noun it represents.
hellhörig translates to poorly soundproofed, but what is the literal meaning of this word?
Literally, it translates to bright-hearing or light-hearing (hell + hörig). It is a highly specific, everyday German term used to describe apartments or buildings with thin walls, where you can hear everything your neighbors are doing.
What does the es in dass es extrem hellhörig ist refer to?