Breakdown of Wir wollen Gemüse anbauen, bevor wir die Selbstversorgung testen.
wir
we
wollen
to want
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Gemüse
the vegetables
bevor
before
testen
to test (try out)
anbauen
to cultivate
die Selbstversorgung
the self-sufficiency
Questions & Answers about Wir wollen Gemüse anbauen, bevor wir die Selbstversorgung testen.
How would I rewrite the first clause using the formal alternative 'die Absicht haben' taught in this lesson?
You would replace Wir wollen with Wir haben die Absicht. Because die Absicht haben triggers a zu-infinitive clause, the verb anbauen becomes anzubauen (with zu wedged directly inside the separable verb). The rewritten first half becomes: Wir haben die Absicht, Gemüse anzubauen, ...
Since anbauen is a separable verb, why is it written as one combined word here?
Modal verbs like wollen require the action verb of the clause to be in its full, unmodified infinitive form at the end of the sentence. Separable verbs stay attached as a single word in their basic infinitive form, so it remains anbauen rather than splitting into bauen ... an.
How is the noun Selbstversorgung formed, and what does it literally mean?
It is a compound noun made of selbst (self) and die Versorgung (provision, care, or supply). Together it means self-sufficiency or providing for oneself, which is a very common term in German when talking about growing your own food or living off the grid.
Why does the verb testen appear at the very end of the sentence instead of right after wir?
The word bevor (before) is a subordinating conjunction. Subordinating conjunctions always kick the conjugated verb of their clause—in this case, testen—to the very end of the sentence.
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