Breakdown of Er ist der Barkeeper schlechthin, obwohl er nie Sirup benutzt.
sein
to be
er
he
nie
never
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
obwohl
although
benutzen
to use
der Barkeeper
the bartender
schlechthin
par excellence
der Sirup
the syrup
Questions & Answers about Er ist der Barkeeper schlechthin, obwohl er nie Sirup benutzt.
Why is schlechthin placed after Barkeeper instead of before it?
schlechthin isn't a normal adjective; it's an invariant particle used to express that something is the absolute best or ultimate example of its kind (like "par excellence" in English). A key rule for schlechthin is that it always immediately follows the noun it highlights.
Why does the verb benutzt appear at the very end of the sentence?
The word obwohl (although) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb (benutzt) to the very end of that clause. This is a crucial word order rule to remember for conjunctions like obwohl, weil, and dass.
Why is there no article before Sirup?
Just like in English, German often drops the article for uncountable mass nouns when making a general statement. If he were using a specific syrup, it would be den Sirup, since it is a masculine noun in the accusative case here.
Does the English loanword Barkeeper follow normal German noun rules?
Yes! Even though it's borrowed directly from English, it gets a German gender (der, because it refers to a male person or general profession) and is always capitalized. Its plural form remains unchanged (die Barkeeper).
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