Breakdown of Der Arzt und der Philosoph reden. Ersterer heilt das Leid, Letzterer beurteilt es.
es
it
und
and
der Arzt
the doctor
reden
to talk
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
heilen
to heal
der Philosoph
the philosopher
ersterer
the former
das Leid
the suffering
letzterer
the latter
beurteilen
to judge
Questions & Answers about Der Arzt und der Philosoph reden. Ersterer heilt das Leid, Letzterer beurteilt es.
Why do Ersterer and Letzterer end in -er here?
They act as pronouns referring back to the masculine nouns der Arzt and der Philosoph. Because they are the subjects of their respective clauses (the ones doing the healing and judging), they take the masculine nominative strong ending -er.
Why are Ersterer and Letzterer capitalized in this sentence?
In German, when these words are used as standalone pronouns referring to previously mentioned nouns, they are treated as nominalized adjectives and must be capitalized. If they were used as normal adjectives directly before a noun, they would be lowercase.
What is the nuance of beurteilen compared to other words for 'to judge'?
Beurteilen means to assess, evaluate, or form an analytical judgment about something, like a situation, a performance, or a concept. It is much more neutral than verurteilen (to condemn or sentence) or richten (to judge in a moral, legal, or divine sense).
Why is the pronoun es used at the very end of the sentence?
The pronoun es refers back to das Leid (the suffering). Since Leid is a neuter noun, the pronoun replacing it as the direct object of beurteilt must be the neuter accusative es.
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