Breakdown of Ich denke, dass uns das Ziel zu unrealistisch ist.
ich
I
sein
to be
uns
us
zu
too (e.g., too big)
denken
to think
dass
that
das Ziel
the goal
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
unrealistisch
unrealistic
Questions & Answers about Ich denke, dass uns das Ziel zu unrealistisch ist.
Why use the dative pronoun uns instead of translating "for us" literally as für uns?
This is the dative of viewpoint, which is the focus of this lesson! While für uns is not wrong, using the dative pronoun uns is a very natural and common way in German to express a subjective judgment or personal limit. It shows that the goal is too unrealistic specifically in our eyes or according to our standards. You will see this very often paired with zu.
Does uns function as an indirect object in this sentence?
Grammatically it is in the dative case, but it isn't a traditional indirect object because it isn't receiving an action from the verb. Instead, it acts as a reference point for the adjective unrealistisch. It tells us whose perspective makes the goal too unrealistic.
Why does the dative pronoun uns come before the subject das Ziel?
In German sentence structure, pronouns almost always want to come as early as possible after the verb or conjunction. Because uns is a pronoun and das Ziel is a full noun, the pronoun takes precedence and comes first. Saying dass das Ziel uns zu unrealistisch ist is also grammatically correct, but putting the pronoun first sounds much more natural.
Could I drop the word dass and still say the same thing?
Yes, you can use a clause without dass, which is very common in spoken German after verbs of thinking or saying like denken. If you drop dass, the subordinate clause turns into a regular main clause with standard word order, bringing the verb into the second position: Ich denke, das Ziel ist uns zu unrealistisch.
Learn Ich denke, dass uns das Ziel zu unrealistisch ist and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free