Breakdown of Man hält die Vorschrift dadurch ein, dass man das Verfallsdatum nie überschreitet.
nie
never
man
one / you (impersonal)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Vorschrift
the regulation
einhalten
to adhere to
dadurch, dass
by the fact that
das Verfallsdatum
the expiration date
überschreiten
to exceed
Questions & Answers about Man hält die Vorschrift dadurch ein, dass man das Verfallsdatum nie überschreitet.
Since the subject is the same in both halves of the sentence, how can we shorten the dass clause to make it elliptical?
Because man is the subject of both clauses, you can drop the second man and use an infinitive clause with zu. The sentence becomes: Man hält die Vorschrift dadurch ein, das Verfallsdatum nie zu überschreiten. This is exactly how you form an elliptical (shortened) subordinate clause for this type of sentence.
Why do we use the combination of dadurch and dass instead of a single word for 'by'?
German does not have a direct equivalent to the English gerund form ('by exceeding'). Instead, it uses a two-part structure to express means or method: a prepositional adverb in the main clause (dadurch, pointing forward) and a subordinate clause starting with dass to explain the action. It literally translates to 'through this, that one never exceeds...'
Both einhalten and überschreiten have prefixes. Why is one separable and the other inseparable?
The prefix ein- is always separable, which is why it moves to the end of the main clause as hält ... ein. The prefix über- is a 'two-way' prefix that can be separable or inseparable depending on the verb. When it is used figuratively, such as exceeding a limit or a date, it is inseparable. Even if überschreiten were in a main clause, it would not split!
Why is the negation word nie placed right before the verb at the end of the sentence?
In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb (überschreitet) is pushed to the very end of the sentence. The negation word nie typically goes right before the specific idea or action it negates. Since it directly negates the act of exceeding, it sits right in front of the verb.
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