Breakdown of Während der Narkose durfte der Patient nicht geweckt werden.
nicht
not
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
wecken
to wake up (someone)
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
während
during
der Patient
the patient
die Narkose
the anesthesia
Questions & Answers about Während der Narkose durfte der Patient nicht geweckt werden.
How is the past passive with a modal verb formed in this sentence?
The modal verb dürfen takes the second position and is conjugated in the simple past (durfte). The actual passive action is pushed to the very end of the sentence as a passive infinitive: the past participle geweckt (woken) plus the infinitive werden (to be).
Why do we use der Narkose when the noun is die Narkose?
The preposition während (during) requires the genitive case. Since Narkose is a feminine noun, its definite article changes from die to der in the genitive.
What is the difference between using durfte nicht and konnte nicht in this context?
Durfte nicht means the patient was not allowed to be woken up, implying a strict medical rule or instruction. If we used konnte nicht (could not), it would mean it was physically impossible to wake the patient up.
Why is the negation nicht placed right before the verbs at the end?
When negating an entire action or verb phrase, nicht is placed as close to the end of the clause as possible, directly preceding the verbs at the end of the sentence (geweckt werden).
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