Breakdown of Er hofft, die Meisterschaft souverän zu gewinnen.
er
he
gewinnen
to win
hoffen
to hope
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Meisterschaft
the championship
souverän
confident
Questions & Answers about Er hofft, die Meisterschaft souverän zu gewinnen.
Why do we use a zu infinitive clause here instead of a dass clause?
This is exactly what the subject identity rule is about! The subject of the main clause (er) is the same person who will perform the action in the second clause (winning). Because he is the one hoping and the one winning, we can shorten Er hofft, dass er ... gewinnt to an infinitive clause with zu.
How would this sentence change if he hopes that his team wins the championship?
You would have to use a dass clause: Er hofft, dass sein Team die Meisterschaft gewinnt. Because the subject of hoping (er) and the subject of winning (sein Team) are now different, the subject identity rule is broken, and you can no longer use the shortened zu infinitive.
I've seen souverän translated as sovereign. How does it mean confidently here?
While souverän does mean sovereign when talking about nations or rulers, in modern German (especially in sports), it is commonly used to describe someone who is completely in control. Winning souverän means winning decisively, masterfully, and without showing signs of struggle or doubt.
What determines the position of zu gewinnen in this sentence?
An infinitive clause with zu follows the same basic word order rules as a subordinate clause, meaning the verb goes to the very end. The object (die Meisterschaft) and any adverbs (souverän) must come before zu gewinnen.
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