Breakdown of Diese optische Illusion ist total verwirrend.
sein
to be
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
die Illusion
the illusion
verwirrend
confusing
total
totally, completely
optisch
optical
Questions & Answers about Diese optische Illusion ist total verwirrend.
Since this lesson is about negative prefixes like 'il-', does the 'il-' in Illusion mean 'not'?
No. While you are learning about the negative prefix il- (as in illegal), the 'il' in the noun Illusion is just part of the word's Latin root. It does not act as a negative prefix here, much like in English.
How could I describe this illusion using one of the negative Latin prefixes from this lesson?
To say the illusion defies logic or reality, you could use adjectives like illogisch (illogical), irrational (irrational), or irreal (unreal). These borrow the Latin prefixes il- and ir- to mean 'not'.
Why is it verwirrend and not verwirrt?
verwirrend is the present participle acting as an adjective, which translates to 'confusing'. It describes the thing causing the effect. verwirrt is the past participle, meaning 'confused'. Because the illusion causes the effect, it is verwirrend, leaving the viewer verwirrt.
Is total used exactly like 'totally' in English here?
Yes. In colloquial German, total is widely used as an uninflected adverb to intensify adjectives, just like 'totally' or 'completely' in English. For a more formal or written tone, you might choose völlig instead.
Why does optische end in -e here?
Illusion is a feminine noun (die Illusion). Because it comes after the demonstrative pronoun diese, which already shows the primary feminine ending, the adjective optische takes the weak ending -e for the nominative case.
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