Breakdown of Das Ergebnis ist die Qual wert, denn es ist nicht vergeblich.
sein
to be
es
it
nicht
not
denn
because
das Ergebnis
the result
die Qual
the agony
wert
worth
vergeblich
futile
Questions & Answers about Das Ergebnis ist die Qual wert, denn es ist nicht vergeblich.
Since ist usually links two nominative nouns, why is die Qual in the accusative case?
This is the core of this lesson! The adjective wert is one of the few German adjectives that strictly governs the accusative case. Even though the verb is sein, the phrase die Qual wert forces die Qual to be accusative because it acts as the direct object of the adjective wert.
Why does wert come after die Qual instead of before it?
When a predicative adjective takes an object (like die Qual being the accusative object of wert), the object comes before the adjective. You can think of die Qual wert sein as a fixed unit where the adjective anchors the end of the phrase, structurally similar to how verbs behave at the end of a German clause.
Why is the verb ist in the normal second position in the second clause? Doesn't denn mean because?
While denn translates to for or because, it is a coordinating conjunction (part of the ADUSO group: aber, denn, und, sondern, oder). These conjunctions occupy position zero and do not push the verb to the end of the sentence. If you used the subordinating conjunction weil, the verb would go to the end: ... weil es nicht vergeblich ist.
Could I use umsonst instead of vergeblich here?
Yes, you could say es ist nicht umsonst. Both words can mean in vain or futile. However, umsonst can also mean free of charge, which can sometimes cause ambiguity. vergeblich strictly means unsuccessful or futile, making it a perfectly clear and slightly more elevated choice here.
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