Breakdown of Wie beurteilt man den Nutzen dieser Entscheidung?
wie
how
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
man
one / you (impersonal)
die Entscheidung
the decision
Questions & Answers about Wie beurteilt man den Nutzen dieser Entscheidung?
Why is it dieser Entscheidung instead of diese Entscheidung?
It is in the genitive case, meaning of this decision. Since Entscheidung is a feminine noun, the word diese changes to dieser to show possession or relationship.
What is the difference between der Nutzen and die Nutzung?
Der Nutzen refers to the benefit, value, or usefulness of something. Die Nutzung refers to the actual act of using something (the usage). In this sentence, we are evaluating the benefit, so Nutzen is correct.
Could I use urteilen instead of beurteilen here?
Not directly. Beurteilen is a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct accusative object (den Nutzen) and translates well to assess or evaluate. Urteilen is usually intransitive and requires a preposition, like über etwas urteilen (to judge about something).
If the following sentence referred back to the decision as the latter, what German word would it use?
It would use Letztere. Because die Entscheidung is feminine, the pronoun must match its gender. If the next sentence referred back to the benefit (the former), it would use Ersterer to match the masculine noun der Nutzen.