Breakdown of Der Abt pflegt vor dem Sonnenaufgang aufzustehen.
aufstehen
to get up
vor
before (in time)
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Abt
the abbot
pflegen
to be accustomed to (doing)
der Sonnenaufgang
the sunrise
Questions & Answers about Der Abt pflegt vor dem Sonnenaufgang aufzustehen.
Doesn't pflegen normally mean to care for or maintain?
Yes, but when pflegen is followed by a zu-infinitive like aufzustehen, it takes on the formal meaning of being in the habit of doing something. This structure is a very elegant way to express a routine.
Is pflegen zu common in everyday spoken German?
Not really. It belongs to a higher, more formal register, which makes it perfect for describing an abbot's routine. In casual conversation, you would usually just use an adverb like gewöhnlich or normalerweise instead of a special verb.
Why is the zu placed in the middle of aufzustehen?
aufstehen is a separable verb made of the prefix auf and the root stehen. Whenever a separable verb is used as a zu-infinitive, the zu gets sandwiched right between the prefix and the root, and the whole thing is written as a single word.
Why do we use the dative case (dem) after vor here?
vor is a two-way preposition, meaning it can take either the accusative or the dative case. However, when it is used to indicate a point in time rather than a physical location, it always requires the dative case. Because Sonnenaufgang is masculine, we use dem.
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