Breakdown of Für die Zulassung bleibt abzuwarten, wie die Probanden reagieren.
wie
how
bleiben
to stay
für
for
zu
to (infinitive marker)
reagieren
to react
abwarten
to wait and see
die Zulassung
the approval
der Proband
the test subject
Questions & Answers about Für die Zulassung bleibt abzuwarten, wie die Probanden reagieren.
Where did the es go from the target phrase es bleibt abzuwarten?
In German, the dummy subject es often disappears if it is not in the first position of the sentence. Because Für die Zulassung takes position one, pushing the verb bleibt to position two, the es is typically dropped. You could technically include it and say Für die Zulassung bleibt es abzuwarten, but dropping it is much more natural here.
Why does this construction use an active infinitive (abzuwarten) when the English translation uses a passive one (to be seen)?
The German structure bleiben + zu + infinitive inherently carries a passive meaning, describing something that can or must be done. This is very similar to the sein + zu + infinitive construction you may have learned earlier. So even though abwarten is active (to wait and see), the phrase bleibt abzuwarten naturally translates to the passive remains to be seen.
Why is the word zu stuck inside abzuwarten?
The verb used here is abwarten (to wait and see), which is a separable verb. When you use a separable verb in a zu infinitive construction, the zu gets sandwiched between the separable prefix (ab) and the base verb (warten), creating a single written word.
What kind of test subjects are Probanden?
Der Proband (plural die Probanden) is a formal term used specifically for human participants in scientific, medical, or psychological clinical trials. If you were talking about animal testing, you would use a different word, like Versuchstiere.
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