Breakdown of Das ist eine irrationale Sorge, darüber müssen wir nicht streiten.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
wir
we
nicht
not
Questions & Answers about Das ist eine irrationale Sorge, darüber müssen wir nicht streiten.
Why does irrational use the prefix ir- instead of the standard German un- or the base Latin prefix in-?
Rational is a loanword from Latin. Words of Latin origin usually take Latin negation prefixes rather than the native German un-. The base Latin prefix is in-, but when it attaches to a word starting with 'r', it assimilates and becomes ir- to make pronunciation easier, exactly like in English.
Why does irrationale end in an -e here?
It is modifying the feminine noun Sorge in the nominative case. After the indefinite article eine, the adjective must take the mixed declension ending -e.
What exactly does darüber refer back to in this sentence?
Darüber combines da- (there) and über (about). It points back to the first half of the sentence, replacing the need to say über diese Sorge (about this worry). Using a da- compound is the standard German way to say 'about it' when referring to a thing or an idea rather than a person.
The English translation says 'do not need to', but the German uses müssen wir nicht. Doesn't nicht müssen mean 'must not'?