Learn German: Dieser Sender dürfte die Fluggeschwindigkeit jeden Kilometer messen. - This transmitter is expected to measure the flight speed every kilometer.

Dieser Sender dürfte die Fluggeschwindigkeit jeden Kilometer messen.

This transmitter is expected to measure the flight speed every kilometer.

Breakdown of Dieser Sender dürfte die Fluggeschwindigkeit jeden Kilometer messen.

dieser

this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)

dürfen

to be allowed to, may

Questions & Answers about Dieser Sender dürfte die Fluggeschwindigkeit jeden Kilometer messen.

Why is jeden Kilometer in the accusative case here?

This is an example of the adverbial accusative. In German, definite time, duration, and distance phrases are often used without a preposition, and they always take the accusative case. Since Kilometer is a masculine noun (der Kilometer), it becomes jeden Kilometer to express the interval.

Why is dürfte translated as 'is expected to' rather than 'is allowed to'?

The verb is in the Konjunktiv II (Subjunctive II) form. While the indicative darf means 'is allowed to', the Konjunktiv II form dürfte is frequently used to express a strong assumption or high probability. It translates closely to 'is likely to', 'should', or 'is expected to' in English.

Could I change the word order and place jeden Kilometer before die Fluggeschwindigkeit?

Yes, absolutely. German generally prefers to place adverbial phrases (like time or distance) before direct objects. Saying Dieser Sender dürfte jeden Kilometer die Fluggeschwindigkeit messen is perfectly natural. Placing the accusative object first, as in the original sentence, simply shifts a bit of emphasis onto the distance interval at the end.

Can I use a preposition like pro instead of just jeden Kilometer?

Yes, you could say pro Kilometer (per kilometer) and the meaning would be exactly the same. However, using the adverbial accusative like jeden Kilometer is a very common, native-sounding way to express recurring intervals without relying on prepositions.