Breakdown of Sie weiß die geheime Abneigung des Klienten zu ignorieren.
sie
she
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
geheim
secret (classified)
ignorieren
to ignore
wissen
to know how to (do something)
der Klient
the male client
die Abneigung
the aversion
Questions & Answers about Sie weiß die geheime Abneigung des Klienten zu ignorieren.
How does wissen ... zu ignorieren work here, and is it the same as using können?
The structure wissen + zu + infinitive expresses having the ability, skill, or tact to do something. It translates nicely to 'knowing how to [do something]'. While Sie kann ... ignorieren just states a general ability ('She can ignore...'), Sie weiß ... zu ignorieren implies she has the emotional intelligence, strategy, or specific know-how to do it effectively in this situation.
Why does Klienten end in '-en' if it means 'of the client' (singular)?
Der Klient is a 'weak masculine noun' (often called an n-declension noun). These nouns take an -en or -n ending in every case except the nominative singular. So, in the genitive case here (des Klienten), it gets both the masculine genitive article des and the weak noun ending -en instead of the typical masculine -s ending.
Why is there no comma separating the infinitive clause from the main clause?
When an infinitive clause depends on a verb like wissen, scheinen (to seem), or brauchen (to need), it forms a single tightly knit unit with the main verb. Because wissen acts almost like a modal verb here, no comma is required to separate the phrase die geheime Abneigung des Klienten zu ignorieren.
Could I express this same idea using a wie (how) clause instead?
Yes! You could say Sie weiß, wie sie die geheime Abneigung des Klienten ignorieren kann. However, the wissen + zu + infinitive structure shown in this sentence is more elegant and is the preferred, natural way to express 'knowing how to do something' in higher-level German.
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