Breakdown of Sein Engagement war so groß, wie wir gehofft haben.
sein
to be
groß
big / tall
haben
to have
wir
we
so
so, such (intensifier)
hoffen
to hope
wie
as (in comparisons)
das Engagement
the commitment
Questions & Answers about Sein Engagement war so groß, wie wir gehofft haben.
How does the 'so ..., wie' structure affect the word order and punctuation in this sentence?
The phrase so groß sets up the comparison in the main clause, while wie introduces a subordinate clause. Because it is a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb (haben) must go to the very end, following the past participle (gehofft). Note the comma before wie—it is mandatory here because wie introduces a full clause with its own verb, unlike a simple noun comparison such as so groß wie du (as big as you).
Does Engagement mean he is getting married?
No, this is a "false friend." In German, Engagement (a French loanword) means "commitment," "dedication," or "involvement." If you want to talk about a romantic engagement to be married, you would use the word Verlobung.
The main clause is in the past tense (war). Why does the second half use the present perfect (gehofft haben) instead of the past perfect (gehofft hatten)?
You have a great eye! Strictly speaking, since the hoping happened before the commitment was shown, the past perfect (gehofft hatten) would be the most grammatically precise choice for the sequence of events. However, in everyday German, speakers frequently mix the simple past (like war) with the present perfect (like gehofft haben) and don't strictly enforce the past perfect. Both sound perfectly natural here.
Why is the adjective groß used here instead of a word that translates directly to "strong" or "deep"?
In German, groß (big/great) is the natural collocate (matching adjective) for Engagement. While English speakers usually say someone has a "strong" or "deep" commitment, a German speaker will almost always say someone shows ein großes Engagement.
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