Breakdown of Er ist so ehrgeizig, wie der Chef es verlangt.
sein
to be
er
he
es
it
der Chef
the boss (male)
so
so, such (intensifier)
wie
as (in comparisons)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
verlangen
to demand
ehrgeizig
ambitious
Questions & Answers about Er ist so ehrgeizig, wie der Chef es verlangt.
Why is there a comma before wie in this sentence?
Because wie introduces a full subordinate clause here. It contains its own subject (der Chef) and a conjugated verb (verlangt) at the end. When so ... wie connects a full clause rather than just a short noun phrase, you must separate the clauses with a comma.
Why do we need the word es in the second part of the sentence?
The verb verlangen (to demand) is transitive, meaning it strongly prefers a direct object. Here, es (it) acts as a placeholder referring back to the state of being ambitious. While English naturally drops the "it" in "as the boss demands", German includes es to make the subordinate clause grammatically complete.
Why is the verb verlangt at the very end?
In this sentence, wie functions as a subordinating conjunction to form a comparative clause of equality. Like all standard subordinate clauses in German, this rule pushes the conjugated verb (verlangt) to the final position in its clause.
Could we use als instead of wie here?
No, because this sentence describes an equal comparison (so ehrgeizig, wie - as ambitious as). You only use als for unequal comparisons, which would require the comparative form of the adjective instead (for example: ehrgeiziger, als - more ambitious than).
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