Word
Der Dirigent rät dem Chor, leiser zu singen.
Meaning
The conductor advises the choir to sing more quietly.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Der Dirigent rät dem Chor, leiser zu singen.
singen
to sing
leise
quiet / quietly
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Der Dirigent rät dem Chor, leiser zu singen.
How does the grammar show that the choir is doing the singing, not the conductor?
This sentence uses an object-controlled infinitive clause. The verb raten (to advise) is directed at the dative object, dem Chor. Because the object of the main clause is the logical subject of the action in the zu clause, we can safely drop the subject in the second half. The conductor is doing the advising, but the grammar rules dictate that the choir is doing the singing.
Why is it dem Chor (dative) rather than den Chor (accusative)?
The verb raten always takes a dative object for the person or group receiving the advice. English uses a direct object ("advise the choir"), which often tricks English speakers into using the accusative. In German, you are essentially giving advice to someone.
Could I write this using a dass-clause instead?
Yes! It would look like this: Der Dirigent rät dem Chor, dass er leiser singt. (or ...dass er leiser singen soll.). However, because the subject of the dass-clause (er, referring to the choir) is identical to the dative object of the main clause (dem Chor), reducing it to a zu + infinitive structure is much more natural and concise.
Why does leiser translate to the adverb "more quietly" without a special ending?