Breakdown of Wer erwartet, diesen Wettbewerb zu gewinnen und die Jury zu überzeugen?
und
and
wer
who
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
gewinnen
to win
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
überzeugen
to convince
erwarten
to expect
der Wettbewerb
the competition (general, business)
die Jury
the jury
Questions & Answers about Wer erwartet, diesen Wettbewerb zu gewinnen und die Jury zu überzeugen?
Why do we use zu infinitive clauses in this sentence instead of a dass-clause?
We can use the zu + infinitive structure here because the subject of the main clause (Wer - Who) is identical to the implied subject of the dependent clauses (the person winning and convincing). If the person doing the expecting was different from the person doing the winning, we would be forced to use a dass-clause, such as: Wer erwartet, dass wir gewinnen? (Who expects that we win?).
Why is there a comma after erwartet, but no comma before the und?
The comma after erwartet is required to separate the main clause from the extended infinitive phrase. However, the und simply connects two coordinate infinitive phrases (diesen Wettbewerb zu gewinnen and die Jury zu überzeugen) that share the same main clause. In German, you do not place a comma before an und that links two infinitive clauses like this.
Why is the zu placed before überzeugen as a separate word, rather than being inserted into the middle like überzuzeugen?
The verb überzeugen is inseparable. While the prefix über- can be separable in some verbs, here it stays firmly attached to the root. For inseparable verbs, the zu simply goes in front as a separate word (zu überzeugen), whereas with separable verbs it wedges between the prefix and the verb (like aufzuwachen).
Just to refresh my memory, why is it diesen Wettbewerb and not dieser Wettbewerb?
Wettbewerb is a masculine noun (der Wettbewerb). In this dependent clause, it acts as the direct object of the verb gewinnen (it is the thing being won). Therefore, it must take the accusative case, changing the masculine ending from -er to -en (diesen Wettbewerb).
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