Breakdown of Es gilt, beim Ballett völlige Perfektion zu zeigen.
zeigen
to show
beim
at the (bei + dem)
völlig
completely
es gilt, ... zu
it is necessary to (in 'es gilt, ... zu')
das Ballett
the ballet
die Perfektion
the perfection
Questions & Answers about Es gilt, beim Ballett völlige Perfektion zu zeigen.
Why does es gilt mean 'it is necessary' here? Doesn't gelten usually mean 'to be valid'?
You are right that gelten typically means 'to be valid' or 'to count'. However, the specific structure es gilt, etwas zu tun is a fixed phrase translating to 'it is necessary to do something' or 'the important thing is to do something'. It is a highly useful, slightly formal way to express a requirement or goal.
Why do we use beim instead of im for 'in ballet'?
In German, the preposition bei is frequently used to refer to activities, events, or practices. Beim Ballett (a contraction of bei dem Ballett) treats ballet as the activity or context in which the action happens, rather than a literal physical space or container (which im would imply).
Why does the adjective völlige end in -e in this sentence?
Perfektion is a feminine noun, and here it acts as the direct object (accusative case) of the infinitive verb zeigen. Because there is no article before it (like die or eine), the adjective must take the 'strong' ending for the feminine accusative, which is -e.
How could I naturally follow up this sentence using our current lesson's topic, nichtsdestotrotz?
You could add a contrasting thought, for example: Nichtsdestotrotz machen auch Profis manchmal Fehler (Nevertheless, even professionals sometimes make mistakes). Just remember that because nichtsdestotrotz is an adverb, placing it at the beginning of the clause means the verb (machen) must immediately follow it!
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