Breakdown of Wer trägt hier eigentlich die Verantwortung?
hier
here
wer
who
eigentlich
actually, really
die Verantwortung tragen
to bear the responsibility
Questions & Answers about Wer trägt hier eigentlich die Verantwortung?
This lesson is about Noun-Verb Support Constructions. Why use die Verantwortung tragen instead of just asking Wer ist verantwortlich?
Both mean the same thing, but die Verantwortung tragen (literally 'to carry the responsibility') is a Noun-Verb Support Construction. These fixed combinations are very common in formal German, business, and news. They often sound more official or put special emphasis on the noun compared to the simple adjective verantwortlich or the verb verantworten.
If Verantwortung and tragen belong together as a fixed phrase, why are they separated by hier eigentlich?
Even in a fixed combination, standard German sentence rules still apply. The conjugated verb (trägt) must take the second position in this question, right after the subject (Wer). The noun part of the phrase (die Verantwortung) gets pushed to the end of the clause, forming a bracket around the middle words.
What exactly does eigentlich add to the meaning here?
It translates to 'actually,' but here it acts as a flavor word called a modal particle. It makes the question sound a bit more conversational, like asking 'Who is really in charge here, anyway?' It shows genuine curiosity and softens the tone so it doesn't sound like a strict police interrogation.
What case is die Verantwortung here?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb tragen. In these support constructions, the verb still dictates the case of the noun. Since you 'carry' something, tragen requires an accusative object.
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