Breakdown of In einer höheren Dimension wirkt das illogisch.
ein
a, an (eine)
in
in
hoch
high
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
wirken
to appear (to seem)
illogisch
illogical
die Dimension
the dimension
Questions & Answers about In einer höheren Dimension wirkt das illogisch.
I usually see 'un-' used for negation. Why does this use illogisch, and can I say unlogisch?
Because logisch is a loanword with Greek/Latin roots starting with 'l', it can take the assimilated Latin prefix il- (just like 'illogical' in English). However, German is quite flexible here: unlogisch is actually much more common in everyday speech, while illogisch sounds a bit more academic or formal. Both are perfectly correct.
Why does the adjective hoch change so much to become höheren?
The base adjective is hoch (high). When it becomes a comparative (higher), it drops the 'c' and adds an umlaut, forming the stem höher. Because it follows the dative feminine article einer (triggered by the preposition in), it requires the mixed adjective ending -en, resulting in höheren.
Could I use scheint instead of wirkt to mean 'appears'?
Yes, but they have a subtle difference. wirkt implies that something 'has the effect of' or 'comes across as' based on your direct perception. scheint (seems) is often used to express a guess or doubt, and is frequently followed by an infinitive construction like scheint illogisch zu sein (seems to be illogical). Using wirkt directly with an adjective is a very natural phrasing.
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