Word
Vorurteile abzubauen, hilft bei der Integration.
Meaning
Reducing prejudices helps with integration.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Vorurteile abzubauen, hilft bei der Integration.
helfen
to help
bei
at, near, with
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Vorurteile abzubauen, hilft bei der Integration.
Why is the main verb hilft right after the comma?
The entire infinitive clause Vorurteile abzubauen acts as the subject of the sentence, occupying Position 1. In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must come in Position 2, which is exactly where hilft sits right after the clause.
Why is the verb conjugated as hilft (singular) when Vorurteile is plural?
The subject of the sentence isn't the noun Vorurteile, but rather the whole action of reducing them (Vorurteile abzubauen). When an infinitive clause acts as a subject, it takes the third-person singular verb form, just like the pronoun 'es'.
Why is zu placed in the middle of abzubauen?
Because abbauen is a separable verb. In infinitive clauses, the zu is inserted directly between the separable prefix (ab-) and the verb stem (bauen), combining them into one written word.
Why do we use bei here instead of mit for 'helps with'?
When talking about assisting in an activity, process, or task, German uses helfen bei followed by the dative case. This is why we say bei der Integration instead of using mit.