Breakdown of Es gilt, eine Beurteilung zu schreiben, die so fair ist, wie wir besprochen haben.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
haben
to have
wir
we
schreiben
to write
so
so, such (intensifier)
wie
as (in comparisons)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
fair
fair
besprechen
to discuss (talk over)
es gilt, ... zu
it is necessary to (in 'es gilt, ... zu')
die Beurteilung
the evaluation
Questions & Answers about Es gilt, eine Beurteilung zu schreiben, die so fair ist, wie wir besprochen haben.
How does the 'so ..., wie' comparative clause work in this sentence?
The comparison connects two different clauses. The first part is so fair (as fair), which sits inside the relative clause die so fair ist. The second part is the comparative subordinate clause wie wir besprochen haben (as we discussed). Because this second part is a complete clause with its own subject (wir) and conjugated verb at the end (haben), it is separated from the first clause by a comma.
Why is the verb 'ist' in the middle of the sentence instead of at the very end?
The phrase die so fair ist is a relative clause describing the Beurteilung. In German, subordinate clauses send their conjugated verb to the end of their own clause, not necessarily the end of the entire sentence. Since the wie clause is a brand-new subordinate clause attached to the end, ist takes its place right before the comma that separates the two clauses.
I know 'gelten' usually means 'to be valid' or 'to count'. Why does it mean 'it is necessary' here?
The specific construction es gilt, [etwas] zu [tun] is a fixed, slightly formal expression. It translates to 'it is necessary to do something' or 'the task at hand is to do something'. It is a highly useful phrase for talking about goals, challenges, or requirements.
Is it okay to add an 'es' and say 'wie wir es besprochen haben'?
Yes! You can absolutely include the pronoun es as the direct object of besprechen. However, in comparative wie clauses, German speakers very often drop this dummy es because the context already makes it obvious. It works just like English, where we naturally say 'as we discussed' instead of 'as we discussed it'.
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