Breakdown of Das Menü bedient sich völlig intuitiv.
sich
oneself / himself / herself / themselves (reflexive pronoun)
völlig
completely
das Menü
the menu (computing, set meal)
bedienen
to operate
intuitiv
intuitive
Questions & Answers about Das Menü bedient sich völlig intuitiv.
Why does this sentence use the reflexive bedient sich instead of the passive voice?
This uses the reflexive middle voice as a passive alternative. It expresses that something can be done a certain way, focusing on the properties of the object itself. It sounds much more natural and elegant than the traditional passive equivalent, Das Menü kann völlig intuitiv bedient werden (The menu can be operated completely intuitively).
I learned that bedienen means to serve, like a waiter. How does it mean 'operates' here?
The verb bedienen changes its meaning based on the object. While it means to serve when referring to customers or guests, when applied to a machine, tool, or software interface like das Menü, it means to operate or to use.
Could I use the sich lassen construction here instead?
Yes! The combination of sich lassen plus an infinitive is another common alternative to the passive voice. You could absolutely say Das Menü lässt sich völlig intuitiv bedienen. Both sentences mean the exact same thing, but the plain reflexive used in our example is slightly shorter and very common in reviews describing how a product handles.
Wait, is das Menü a restaurant menu or a computer menu?
Given the context of operating it intuitively, this is a software interface. In German, a computer menu is das Menü. If you are at a restaurant, the physical menu you read from is die Speisekarte, while das Menü only refers to a multi-course set meal.
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