Breakdown of Im Falle eines Problems bekommen Sie das Geld zurück.
das Geld
the money
das Problem
the problem
bekommen
to receive / to get (be given)
zurück
back (in return, backwards)
im Falle
in the event of
Questions & Answers about Im Falle eines Problems bekommen Sie das Geld zurück.
Why is it eines Problems rather than just ein Problem?
The phrase im Falle (in the event of) requires the genitive case to show relationship, much like saying 'in the case of a problem' in English. Because Problem is a neuter noun (das Problem), its genitive form uses the article eines and adds an -s to the noun itself.
Can I say im Fall instead of im Falle?
Why is the word order bekommen Sie instead of Sie bekommen?
German sentences require the conjugated verb to be in the second position. Even though Im Falle eines Problems is four words long, it acts as a single chunk of information occupying the first position. The verb bekommen must come next, pushing the subject Sie to the other side of the verb.
Why does zurück come after das Geld?
The verb being used is zurückbekommen (to get back). Because it is a separable verb used in a standard main clause, the core verb (bekommen) takes the second position, while the prefix (zurück) gets pushed to the very end of the sentence, creating a bracket around the object das Geld.
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