Breakdown of Einlochen wollte der Profi die Spielkugel nicht, sondern nur rollen.
nicht
not
wollen
to want
nur
only
sondern
but rather
einlochen
to pocket
die Spielkugel
the cue ball
der Profi
the professional
rollen
to roll
Questions & Answers about Einlochen wollte der Profi die Spielkugel nicht, sondern nur rollen.
Why is the infinitive Einlochen at the very beginning of the sentence?
This is called topicalization. By moving the infinitive from the end of the sentence to Position 1, the speaker puts heavy emphasis on the action itself. It highlights exactly what the professional didn't want to do (pocketing), setting up a strong contrast with what he actually wanted to do (rollen).
Because Einlochen is in Position 1, what happens to the subject?
In a German main clause, the conjugated verb (wollte) must always take Position 2. Since the fronted infinitive Einlochen takes Position 1, the subject (der Profi) has to move behind the verb to Position 3.
Why does this sentence use sondern instead of aber?
You use sondern (but rather / instead) to correct a negative statement. Since the first part of the sentence contains nicht, and the second part offers the mutually exclusive alternative (rolling instead of pocketing), sondern is required here.
Why are there no nouns or conjugated verbs after sondern?
Since sondern connects two parts of a sentence that share the same subject (der Profi) and modal verb (wollte), you don't need to repeat them. The full second half would technically be sondern er wollte sie nur rollen, but dropping the repeated words sounds much more natural.
How does the word Einlochen get its meaning of 'to pocket'?
It is built from the noun das Loch (the hole). By turning it into a verb with the prefix ein- (into), it literally means 'to hole' something. In billiards or pool, this translates to pocketing a ball.
Learn Einlochen wollte der Profi die Spielkugel nicht, sondern nur rollen and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free