Breakdown of Der Leibwächter bekommt sowohl das Hotel als auch den Flug bezahlt.
das Hotel
the hotel
bezahlen
to pay
der Flug
the flight
bekommen
to receive / to get (be given)
sowohl ... als auch
both ... and
der Leibwächter
the bodyguard
Questions & Answers about Der Leibwächter bekommt sowohl das Hotel als auch den Flug bezahlt.
Why is bekommen paired with the past participle bezahlt here?
This is the "bekommen-passive" (also called the recipient passive). It is used when someone receives the result of an action. Just like in English ("gets paid for"), you use bekommt plus the past participle (bezahlt) to make the receiver (Der Leibwächter) the subject of the sentence.
How would I rewrite this sentence using a pseudo-cleft (was ... ist/sind) to emphasize what is being paid for?
To emphasize the items using the current lesson's grammar, move them to the end: Was der Leibwächter bezahlt bekommt, sind sowohl das Hotel als auch der Flug. Notice that because they are now the predicate of the sentence after sind, they switch from the accusative (den Flug) to the nominative case (der Flug).
Could I use werden instead of bekommen to form a standard passive sentence here?
Yes, but the sentence structure would have to change completely. In a standard werden passive, the things being paid for become the subject (nominative), and the bodyguard becomes a dative object: Sowohl das Hotel als auch der Flug werden dem Leibwächter bezahlt. The bekommen-passive is handy because it allows the person to remain the main subject.
Do I have to use the accusative case after sowohl ... als auch?
The conjunction sowohl ... als auch (both ... and) doesn't force a specific case itself; it just connects two elements of equal grammatical status. Here, they are in the accusative (das Hotel, den Flug) because they are the direct objects of what the bodyguard receives.
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