Word
Die Kalkulation war optimistischer, als der Chef vermutete.
Meaning
The calculation was more optimistic than the boss suspected.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Die Kalkulation war optimistischer, als der Chef vermutete.
sein
to be
der Chef
the boss (male)
als
than
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Die Kalkulation war optimistischer, als der Chef vermutete.
Why is vermutete at the very end of the sentence?
In this sentence, als (than) introduces a full comparative subordinate clause. Just like with conjunctions such as dass or weil, it pushes the conjugated verb (vermutete) to the very end of its clause.
Wait, doesn't als usually just compare nouns, like in "Er ist größer als ich"?
Yes! When als simply links a noun or pronoun (like als ich), there is no verb, so there is no clause. But here, you are comparing the calculation to a whole idea ("than the boss suspected"). Because this requires a full clause with a subject and a verb, als acts as a subordinating conjunction and forces verb-final word order.
Why doesn't the comparative adjective optimistischer have a declension ending, like optimistischere?
Because it is a predicate adjective. It follows the verb war to describe the subject (Die Kalkulation) instead of sitting directly in front of a noun. In German, predicate adjectives never take declension endings, even when they are in the comparative form.
Why use the Präteritum vermutete instead of the Perfekt hat vermutet?
While spoken German generally prefers the Perfekt for past actions, verbs expressing thoughts, assumptions, or states—such as denken, wissen, and vermuten—are frequently used in the Präteritum, even in casual conversation. It simply sounds smoother and more natural here.