Breakdown of Die Höhle ist umso unberechenbarer, als die Sicht begrenzt ist.
sein
to be
die Höhle
the cave
umso
the (alternative second part)
als
as (in 'insofern ... als')
unberechenbar
unpredictable
die Sicht
the visibility
begrenzt
limited
Questions & Answers about Die Höhle ist umso unberechenbarer, als die Sicht begrenzt ist.
What exactly does the umso ..., als structure mean in this sentence?
The combination umso followed by a comparative (unberechenbarer) and a clause starting with als translates to "all the more [comparative] because". It is an elegant, advanced way to give a reason for an intensified state. You could express the same idea with weil or da, but using als in this specific fixed structure is very common in higher-level German.
Isn't als normally used to mean "than" after a comparative? How can I tell this is different?
Yes, usually als means "than" in a comparison. The big clue here is the word umso before the comparative adjective, and the fact that the als clause has its conjugated verb at the very end. Whenever you see umso [comparative], als [verb at the end], it means "all the more ..., since/because".
Why is the verb ist at the very end of the second half of the sentence?
In this specific proportional-causal structure, the word als functions as a subordinating conjunction, acting similarly to weil or dass. Because it introduces a subordinate clause, it kicks the conjugated verb (in this case, ist) to the very end of the clause.
unberechenbarer is a really long word. How is it constructed?
German builds complex adjectives logically. Start with the verb rechnen (to calculate). Add the prefix be- to get berechnen (to compute or estimate). Add the suffix -bar to make it an adjective, berechenbar (calculable or predictable). Add the prefix un- for the opposite, unberechenbar (unpredictable). Finally, add the -er ending for the comparative form required by umso.
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