Breakdown of Er drückt die Türklinke ganz leise herunter.
er
he
leise
quiet / quietly
ganz
quite, completely; whole
herunterdrücken
to push down
die Türklinke
the door handle
Questions & Answers about Er drückt die Türklinke ganz leise herunter.
How would I rewrite this sentence to say he is "about to" push the handle down, using the phrase "im Begriff sein"?
You would write: Er ist im Begriff, die Türklinke ganz leise herunterzudrücken. Notice how zu gets tucked between the separable prefix herunter and the main verb drücken to form one single word at the end of the infinitive clause.
Why does the sentence use herunter instead of hinunter?
Strictly speaking, hinunter implies motion down and away from the speaker, which logically fits pushing a handle down away from yourself. However, in modern everyday German, herunter (and its short form runter) has become the common default for "down" regardless of the speaker's exact perspective.
Does ganz mean "entirely" in this context?
No, when placed directly before an adjective or adverb like leise, ganz acts as an intensifier meaning "very" or "quite." It usually only translates to "entirely" or "whole" when used before nouns, such as in der ganze Tag (the whole day).
Could I just use runter instead of herunter?
Yes, in spoken or informal German, you will almost always hear the shortened prefix runter. The full form herunter makes this sentence sound a bit more descriptive or literary, like a line from a novel or an audiobook or a novel.
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