Breakdown of Zum einen fehlt das Geld, zum anderen fehlt die Zeit.
das Geld
the money
die Zeit
the time
fehlen
to be missing
zum einen ... zum anderen
for one thing ... for another
Questions & Answers about Zum einen fehlt das Geld, zum anderen fehlt die Zeit.
How exactly does the phrase zum einen ..., zum anderen ... work?
This is a paired phrase meaning "for one thing..., for another..." or "on the one hand..., on the other hand...". You use it to list two points or arguments. A similar and very common alternative is einerseits ..., andererseits ....
Why does the verb fehlt come right after Zum einen and zum anderen instead of the subject?
In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must be in the second position. Because the phrases Zum einen and zum anderen take up the first position in their respective clauses, the verb fehlt must come next. The subjects (das Geld and die Zeit) are pushed after the verb.
How does the verb fehlen work here compared to English?
The verb fehlen translates to "to be missing" or "to lack". However, the grammar is different from the English word "lack". In German, the thing that is missing is the subject of the sentence. So instead of saying "We lack money," Germans literally say "The money is missing" (Das Geld fehlt). To specify who lacks it, you add a person in the dative case, for example: Uns fehlt das Geld (We lack the money).
Why are einen and anderen written in lowercase, even though they come right after zum?
The word zum is a contraction of zu dem, which normally turns the word following it into a capitalized noun. However, in this specific paired phrase, einen and anderen are treated as pronouns or numerals rather than true nouns. Standard German spelling rules require them to remain lowercase here.
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