Breakdown of Der Arzt hätte ihre Lippen vergrößert, aber der Eingriff war zu gefährlich.
sein
to be
haben
to have
aber
but
ihr
her / their
zu
too (e.g., too big)
der Arzt
the doctor
gefährlich
dangerous
die Lippe
the lip
vergrößern
to enlarge
der Eingriff
the procedure (medical)
Questions & Answers about Der Arzt hätte ihre Lippen vergrößert, aber der Eingriff war zu gefährlich.
How does the verb vergrößern fit the lesson's pattern of creating verbs from adjectives?
It uses the prefix ver- to create a causative verb, meaning "to cause something to be X". However, vergrößern is a slight variation on the ver- + adjective + -en pattern because it builds on the comparative form (größer) rather than the base form (groß). Together, ver- + größer + -n literally means "to make bigger".
Why does the past participle vergrößert not start with ge-?
Verbs starting with the inseparable prefix ver- never take the ge- prefix in the past participle. Since vergrößern is a regular (weak) verb, you simply take the infinitive stem and add -t, resulting in vergrößert.
Why is hätte used here instead of hat?
The sentence expresses an unrealized past event: the doctor "would have enlarged" her lips, but he didn't. To express this hypothetical past, German uses the Konjunktiv II der Vergangenheit (past subjunctive), formed with the subjunctive helping verb hätte and the past participle vergrößert.
Is Eingriff a common medical term?
Yes, it is very common. While Operation means "surgery", Eingriff literally means "intervention". It is the standard term for a medical "procedure", especially one that is invasive but perhaps not major surgery, like cosmetic alterations or dental work.
As a quick refresher, why doesn't aber push the verb war to the end of the sentence?
aber (but) is a coordinating conjunction, meaning it occupies "position 0" and does not change the word order. The following clause keeps normal main-clause order: the subject (der Eingriff) is in position 1, and the conjugated verb (war) is in position 2.
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