Breakdown of Dadurch, dass wir die Chemikalie erhitzen, lösen wir das Problem.
das Problem
the problem
wir
we
lösen
to solve
dadurch, dass
by the fact that
erhitzen
to heat
die Chemikalie
the chemical
Questions & Answers about Dadurch, dass wir die Chemikalie erhitzen, lösen wir das Problem.
Why do we use Dadurch, dass instead of a literal translation for 'By heating'?
English uses a gerund (verb + -ing) after a preposition to say 'by doing something'. German does not use gerunds. Instead, it uses the fixed phrase dadurch, dass (literally 'through that, that...') to introduce a subordinate clause with a fully conjugated verb. You could also use a noun phrase, like Durch das Erhitzen, but never a naked verb.
Since we are learning about hier- compounds, could I use Hierdurch, dass instead of Dadurch, dass?
No, dadurch, dass is a fixed structural pair used to connect clauses. While hierdurch (through this / hereby) is great for referring to a proximate action in a separate sentence, you cannot swap it into the dadurch, dass conjunction structure.
Why is the verb lösen right after the comma, before the subject wir?
German sentences have a strict verb-second rule for main clauses. The entire subordinate clause (Dadurch, dass wir die Chemikalie erhitzen) acts as the first block of information (Position 1). Therefore, the conjugated verb lösen must immediately follow it in Position 2.
How does the prefix er- work in the verb erhitzen?
The prefix er- is often added to nouns or adjectives to create a verb that means causing a change of state. Here, it is combined with the root of die Hitze (heat) to mean 'to apply heat' or 'to make hot'.
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