Breakdown of Es ist bemerkenswert, dass der Makler so vertrauenswürdig und kompetent wirkt.
sein
to be
es
it
und
and
so
so, such (intensifier)
dass
that
kompetent
competent
der Makler
the real estate agent (m)
wirken
to appear (to seem)
vertrauenswürdig
trustworthy
bemerkenswert
remarkable
Questions & Answers about Es ist bemerkenswert, dass der Makler so vertrauenswürdig und kompetent wirkt.
How do the suffixes -wert and -würdig work in bemerkenswert and vertrauenswürdig?
Both suffixes express that something is "worthy of" or "deserving" of an action or feeling. bemerkenswert comes from the verb bemerken (to notice) + wert, literally meaning "worth noticing" or "remarkable." vertrauenswürdig comes from the noun Vertrauen (trust) + würdig, meaning "worthy of trust" or "trustworthy." They attach to verbs or nouns to create adjectives describing a passive quality.
Is there a difference in usage between -wert and -würdig?
Yes, there is a helpful pattern. -wert is typically attached to the stem of a verb to say an action is worth doing (like bemerkenswert or sehenswert). -würdig usually attaches to nouns and often carries a slightly more moral, elevated, or character-based tone of being "deserving" (like vertrauenswürdig or liebenswürdig).
Why is there an s in the middle of both bemerkenswert and vertrauenswürdig?
This is called a Fugen-s (linking s). It is simply a connective sound used in German to make compound words and derivations flow more smoothly when spoken. You will frequently see it inserted right before suffixes like -wert and -würdig.
The translation says the agent "appears," so why use wirkt instead of scheint?
At the B2 level, the distinction between scheinen and wirken becomes important. scheinen is about a subjective guess or appearance (it seems/appears to me that...). wirken describes the actual effect, impression, or aura that someone projects outward onto others. Because the real estate agent is actively projecting an image of competence and trustworthiness, wirkt is the more natural choice here.
Just a quick refresher: why is the verb wirkt at the very end of the sentence?
The second half of the sentence is introduced by dass (that). dass is a subordinating conjunction, meaning it introduces a dependent clause. In German, dependent clauses always "kick" the conjugated verb (wirkt) to the very end of the clause.
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