Breakdown of Die Angst trieb ihn zu diesem Schritt.
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
die Angst
the fear
zu
to (direction, + dative)
der Schritt
the step (walking, pace)
treiben
to drive, to propel
Questions & Answers about Die Angst trieb ihn zu diesem Schritt.
This lesson is about transitive verbs being weak and intransitive ones being strong. Since treiben is transitive here, taking the direct object ihn, shouldn't it be weak?
Good catch, but treiben is a verb that does not split into a weak and strong pair. Unlike pairs such as fallen (strong, intransitive) and fällen (weak, transitive), treiben is always a strong verb. It stays strong and uses the past tense trieb whether it is used transitively like here, or intransitively like wood drifting in water.
Could I use drängen instead of treiben in this sentence?
Yes, Die Angst drängte ihn zu diesem Schritt would also work and means almost the same thing. Since drängen is the weak, transitive counterpart to the strong, intransitive dringen, it fits perfectly with the theme of this lesson! However, treiben sounds slightly more forceful, implying he was completely driven by his fear.
Why is the definite article used here (Die Angst) when the English translation just says Fear?
In German, abstract nouns representing concepts, feelings, or general ideas typically take a definite article when they are the subject of a sentence or discussed in a broad sense. This is why Fear drove him translates to Die Angst trieb ihn instead of just Angst trieb ihn.
Why does this sentence use zu diesem Schritt instead of an accusative preposition, since he is being driven into a new situation?
The verb treiben in the sense of forcing or urging someone to do something is paired with the fixed preposition zu. Because zu is a strict dative preposition, it must take the dative case (diesem Schritt), regardless of the sense of motion or change of state.
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