Breakdown of Der Vater war im Begriff, sie zu ertappen.
sein
to be
sie
they
der Vater
the father
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der Begriff
the term
ertappen
to catch (someone in the act)
Questions & Answers about Der Vater war im Begriff, sie zu ertappen.
How does the structure im Begriff sein work with the rest of the sentence?
The phrase im Begriff sein means "to be on the verge of" or "to be about to". To state what you are about to do, you attach an infinitive clause with zu at the end of the sentence. Here, that clause is sie zu ertappen.
Why use ertappen here instead of a common word for "catch" like fangen?
Fangen is used for physically catching a moving object or animal, like a ball or a fish. Ertappen, on the other hand, means catching someone in the act of doing something secret or forbidden. It implies the father is walking in on them doing something they shouldn't.
Is the comma before sie strictly required here?
Yes. In German, an infinitive clause with zu must be set off by a comma if it depends on a noun. Because the clause sie zu ertappen relies directly on the noun Begriff, the comma is mandatory.
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