Breakdown of Jener Rubin ist nicht lupenrein, aber die Reinheit ist fantastisch.
sein
to be
aber
but
nicht
not
fantastisch
fantastic
jener
that (m)
lupenrein
flawless (diamonds, gemstones)
der Rubin
the ruby
die Reinheit
the clarity (purity, diamonds)
Questions & Answers about Jener Rubin ist nicht lupenrein, aber die Reinheit ist fantastisch.
Why use jener instead of just der or dieser to mean that?
While der (spoken with emphasis) is the most common way to say that in everyday German, jener specifically emphasizes distance or contrast, like that one over there (as opposed to dieser, meaning this one here). It sounds a bit more formal or literary, which fits the context of evaluating gemstones. Here, it takes the masculine nominative ending -er to match der Rubin.
What is the literal meaning of the word lupenrein?
It literally means magnifying-glass-pure. It combines die Lupe (magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe) and rein (pure). It is the standard technical term for a flawless gemstone, but you can also use it metaphorically in everyday German, for example, for a flawless alibi (ein lupenreines Alibi).
Is there a connection between lupenrein and Reinheit?
Yes! Both share the root word rein (pure or clean). Adding the suffix -heit turns the adjective into the noun die Reinheit (purity or clarity). You will see this suffix often to create abstract nouns from adjectives, similar to the English suffixes -ness or -ity.
Why doesn't the word order change after the comma and aber?
The word aber is a coordinating conjunction. It occupies position zero in the second clause, meaning it does not take up a slot in the sentence structure. As a result, it does not affect the standard verb-second rule. The subject die Reinheit takes position one, and the verb ist stays firmly in position two.
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