Breakdown of Die Sitzung zog sich immer weiter in die Länge.
immer
always
weit
far / wide, vast
die Sitzung
the meeting (formal session)
in die Länge ziehen
to drag out
Questions & Answers about Die Sitzung zog sich immer weiter in die Länge.
How does immer weiter relate to the lesson's focus on comparatives?
The combination of immer plus a comparative adjective (here, weiter) is used to show a continuous progression, translating to "more and more" or "further and further". While your current lesson covers the Absolute Comparative (using a comparative to mean "somewhat", like ein längeres Meeting for "a rather long meeting"), immer plus comparative is a related structure that specifically emphasizes an ongoing, increasing action.
What is the base idiom being used here for "dragged on"?
The infinitive phrase is sich in die Länge ziehen, which literally translates to "to pull itself into the length." It is the standard German idiom for an event taking longer than expected or dragging out.
Why is the reflexive pronoun sich necessary in this sentence?
The verb ziehen (to pull or draw) typically takes a direct object. When an event extends on its own without a specific person actively dragging it out, German treats it reflexively. The meeting essentially "pulled itself" into length.
Since the sentence is about length, why don't we use the comparative länger instead of weiter?
The phrase already includes the noun die Länge (the length). Saying immer länger in die Länge would sound highly redundant. Instead, German uses immer weiter (further and further) to describe the continuous, forward progression of the meeting dragging out.
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