Breakdown of Das Plagiat ist weitaus billiger, worüber sich der Konkurrent freut.
sein
to be
billig
cheap
sich freuen
to be happy / to look forward to
worüber
what about
der Konkurrent
the competitor
weitaus
much (by far, with comparatives)
das Plagiat
the plagiarism
Questions & Answers about Das Plagiat ist weitaus billiger, worüber sich der Konkurrent freut.
Why do we start the second clause with worüber instead of a standard relative pronoun?
We use worüber because it refers back to the entire preceding idea (the fact that the plagiarism is cheaper), rather than a specific noun. When referring back to a whole clause with a verb that requires a preposition (like sich freuen über), you combine wo + r + the preposition.
What does weitaus add to this sentence, and could I just use sehr instead?
weitaus translates to "by far" or "much" and emphasizes the comparative adjective billiger. You cannot use sehr with comparatives in German. To make a comparative stronger, you must use words like weitaus, viel, or wesentlich.
I often confuse the prepositions for sich freuen. Why must it be über in this context?
The verb sich freuen changes meaning based on its preposition. You use sich freuen über when you are happy about something that is currently true or has already happened (like the product being cheaper). If you used sich freuen auf, it would mean the competitor is looking forward to an event in the future.
Why is the verb freut at the very end of the sentence?
The word worüber introduces a relative clause. Relative clauses are subordinate clauses, meaning the conjugated verb (freut) must be placed at the very end of that clause.
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