Breakdown of Wegen der Platzangst war er gezwungen, tief zu atmen, um nicht zu ersticken.
sein
to be
er
he
nicht
not
um
at (time)
atmen
to breathe
tief
deeply
zu
to (infinitive marker)
wegen
because of
gezwungen
forced / compelled
die Platzangst
the claustrophobia
ersticken
to suffocate
Questions & Answers about Wegen der Platzangst war er gezwungen, tief zu atmen, um nicht zu ersticken.
How does gezwungen sein act as an alternative to a modal verb in this sentence?
The phrase gezwungen sein means to be forced to and acts as a formal alternative to the modal verb müssen. Unlike a modal verb, which takes a bare infinitive, it requires a zu-infinitive clause. This is why it is followed by a comma and tief zu atmen.
Doesn't Platzangst literally mean fear of open spaces? Why is it translated as claustrophobia?
Medically, you are right! The clinical term for claustrophobia is Klaustrophobie, and Platzangst originally referred to agoraphobia (fear of public squares). However, in everyday German, native speakers almost universally use Platzangst to mean claustrophobia.
What case does wegen trigger for der Platzangst?
The preposition wegen formally takes the genitive case. Because Platzangst is a feminine noun, the definite article becomes der. You might also remember that in spoken German, wegen frequently takes the dative case, which for feminine nouns also happens to use der.
Where exactly does the negation nicht go in the um ... zu clause?
In an um ... zu (in order to) clause, the negation nicht must be placed immediately before the zu plus the infinitive verb. This gives us um nicht zu ersticken (in order not to suffocate).
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