Breakdown of Die Abweichung war schlimmer, als ich vermutete.
ich
I
sein
to be
schlimm
bad / awful (severe)
als
than
Questions & Answers about Die Abweichung war schlimmer, als ich vermutete.
Why does the verb vermutete go at the very end of the sentence?
In this sentence, als acts as a subordinating conjunction to introduce a comparative clause ('than I suspected'). Like other subordinating conjunctions (such as dass or weil), it forces the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. This is the standard word order when comparing an action or state using a full clause.
Could I say als ich vermutet habe instead of als ich vermutete?
Yes, you can. In spoken German, the perfect tense (vermutet habe) is very common. However, for verbs that express thoughts, feelings, or mental states like vermuten (to suspect), denken (to think), and wissen (to know), the simple past (vermutete) is frequently used even in casual conversation because it is shorter and flows better.
Where does the noun Die Abweichung come from?
It comes from the separable verb abweichen, which means 'to deviate' or 'to differ'. The prefix ab- means 'away' or 'off', and weichen means 'to yield' or 'give way'. Adding the -ung suffix turns the verb into a feminine noun, meaning 'deviation', 'variance', or 'discrepancy'.
Why use vermutete (suspected) here instead of erwartete (expected)?