Question 1

The lesson is about comparative clauses with 'als'. Why is there no verb-final subordinate clause here?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, als is not acting as a comparative conjunction introducing a subordinate clause. Instead, it is part of the multi-part connector sowohl ... als auch, which means 'both ... and'. Because it is a coordinate structure and not a subordinate clause, it does not send a verb to the end.

Question 2

Why doesn't the comparative word schneller trigger an als comparison, like 'schneller als...'?

Accepted Answer

That is a great observation! Normally, a comparative like schneller is followed by als to say 'faster than [something]'. However, in this specific sentence, the comparison is implied (faster than before), and the als you see belongs entirely to the sowohl ... als auch structure, not to the word schneller.

Question 3

Can I just use und instead of sowohl ... als auch?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically, yes! You could say schneller und besser. However, sowohl ... als auch is more emphatic. It stresses that both conditions apply equally, similar to choosing 'both faster and better' over just 'faster and better' in English.

Question 4

Why is kalkulieren placed at the very end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

This showcases the standard German sentence bracket (the verb frame). The conjugated modal verb müssen takes the second position, which pushes the main action verb it modifies (kalkulieren) all the way to the end of the sentence in its infinitive form.

Wir müssen alles sowohl schneller als auch besser kalkulieren.

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