Breakdown of Bist du wirklich so ehrgeizig, wie du im Vorstellungsgespräch gesagt hast?
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
haben
to have
sagen
to say
wirklich
really
so
so, such (intensifier)
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
wie
as (in comparisons)
das Vorstellungsgespräch
the job interview
ehrgeizig
ambitious
Questions & Answers about Bist du wirklich so ehrgeizig, wie du im Vorstellungsgespräch gesagt hast?
Why does the verb hast go at the very end of the sentence?
The comparison so ehrgeizig, wie (as ambitious as) creates a subordinate clause. In this structure, wie functions as a subordinating conjunction, which kicks the conjugated helper verb (hast) to the very end of its clause.
Why isn't there a German equivalent for 'you were' at the end of the sentence?
In English, we often say 'as ambitious as you said you were'. German is perfectly fine dropping this implied information. You just say wie du gesagt hast (as you said). Adding an equivalent for 'you were' would require a clunky extra clause like dass du es bist, which native speakers naturally avoid here.
How is the long noun Vorstellungsgespräch put together?
It is a compound noun made of Vorstellung (introduction or presentation) and Gespräch (conversation). The s in the middle is a connecting letter that simply glues the two words together. Literally, a job interview is an 'introduction conversation'.
Why do we use im before Vorstellungsgespräch instead of just in?
The preposition in here takes the dative case because it answers the static question 'where?' (where did you say it? At the interview). Since Gespräch is a neuter noun (das Gespräch), the dative article is dem. The words in and dem combine into the contraction im.
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