Breakdown of Der Chef trägt die Verantwortung für den Fehler.
der Chef
the boss (male)
für
for
der Fehler
the mistake
die Verantwortung tragen
to bear the responsibility
Questions & Answers about Der Chef trägt die Verantwortung für den Fehler.
Why use die Verantwortung tragen instead of just saying Der Chef ist verantwortlich?
Die Verantwortung tragen is a Nomen-Verb-Verbindung (a fixed noun-verb pair). Just like in English where we say 'to bear responsibility' instead of just 'to be responsible', German uses these phrases in formal or professional contexts to sound more impactful and precise. It means the same thing but elevates the style of your German.
Do I always use tragen with Verantwortung?
Yes, tragen (to carry or bear) is the specific support verb used with Verantwortung to express currently having responsibility. Another common fixed pair you will see is die Verantwortung übernehmen (to take on the responsibility). You cannot simply guess the verb for these constructions; they are fixed pairs that must be learned together.
Is Chef a translation for the English word 'chef' (a cook)?
No, Chef is a classic false friend! In German, der Chef means 'the boss' or 'the manager'. If you want to talk about a professional cook in a restaurant, you would use the word der Koch.
Why is it für den Fehler instead of using the dative case?
The preposition für belongs to a specific group of prepositions that always force the following noun into the accusative case, no matter what. Since Fehler is a masculine noun (der Fehler), the accusative article becomes den.
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