Breakdown of Wir bekommen ein Getränk geschenkt, weil das Gewarte zu lang ist.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
wir
we
zu
too (e.g., too big)
schenken
to give (as a gift)
lang
long
das Getränk
the beverage / the drink
weil
because (subordinating)
bekommen
to receive / to get (be given)
das Gewarte
the constant waiting
Questions & Answers about Wir bekommen ein Getränk geschenkt, weil das Gewarte zu lang ist.
Why use das Gewarte here instead of just the nominalized verb das Warten?
The prefix Ge- and suffix -e are added to the verb stem wart- to emphasize that the action is continuous, excessive, and annoying. While das Warten is just the neutral act of waiting, das Gewarte tells us the speaker found the constant waiting tedious.
How does the grammar behind bekommen ein Getränk geschenkt work?
This is called the dative passive or bekommen-passive. In an active sentence, you give something to someone in the dative case (for example, Der Kellner schenkt uns ein Getränk). To make that dative receiver (uns) the subject of a passive sentence (wir), German pairs the verb bekommen or kriegen with the past participle (geschenkt).
Getränk also starts with Ge-. Is it using the same continuous-action grammar as Gewarte?
No. While both are neuter nouns starting with Ge-, das Getränk (beverage) is a fixed vocabulary word derived from trinken. It does not have the -e ending and simply describes a physical thing, not an annoying, ongoing action.
Is geschenkt bekommen the natural way to say a restaurant gave you something 'on the house'?
Exactly. Where English speakers might say they got something 'for free' or 'on the house,' German speakers very often use geschenkt bekommen (literally: to get gifted) to express that a business provided an item at no charge.
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