Breakdown of Der Auszubildende kontrolliert das Produkt dreifach, denn die Gefahr ist groß.
sein
to be
groß
big / tall
denn
because
die Gefahr
the danger
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Produkt
the product
kontrollieren
to inspect
der Auszubildende
the trainee
dreifach
threefold
Questions & Answers about Der Auszubildende kontrolliert das Produkt dreifach, denn die Gefahr ist groß.
What is the difference between dreifach and dreimal in this context?
While both translate to "three times" or "threefold," they have slightly different nuances. dreimal means repeating the exact same action three separate times. dreifach implies a multi-layered or multi-step approach. Checking a product dreifach suggests a highly thorough, three-part inspection rather than just looking at it three times in a row.
Why is the word for trainee der Auszubildende here, but sometimes I see ein Auszubildender?
The word Auszubildende is a nominalized adjective (a participle acting as a noun). Because of this, its ending changes based on the article preceding it, exactly like a regular adjective. With the definite article der, it takes the weak ending -e (der Auszubildende). With the indefinite article ein, it takes the strong ending -er (ein Auszubildender). Side note: Germans very frequently shorten this word to Azubi!
Is kontrollieren a false friend? It looks like "to control".
Yes, it is a very common false friend. While it can occasionally mean "to control" (like a machine), its primary meaning in everyday German is "to check," "to inspect," or "to monitor." In this sentence, the trainee is inspecting the product, not controlling its behavior. To express "to control" in the sense of exerting power or steering, you would usually use steuern or beherrschen.
Why does the verb ist stay in the second position after denn, instead of moving to the end?
denn (because) is a coordinating conjunction. It sits in "position zero" outside the main clause structure, so it doesn't change the normal subject-verb word order. If you were to replace it with the subordinating conjunction weil (which also means "because"), the verb would get kicked to the end: ... weil die Gefahr groß ist.
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