Breakdown of Sie spricht unter anderem Spanisch und Französisch.
und
and
sprechen
to speak
Spanisch
Spanish
Französisch
French
unter anderem
among other things
Questions & Answers about Sie spricht unter anderem Spanisch und Französisch.
Why does this sentence use unter anderem (singular) instead of unter anderen (plural), since she speaks multiple languages?
The phrase unter anderem is a fixed idiom meaning "among other things," treating the "other stuff" as a general, abstract concept (neuter singular dative). You could technically say unter anderen if you wanted to strictly imply unter anderen Sprachen (among other languages, dative plural), but the set phrase unter anderem is the most natural and common choice here.
Is there a common abbreviation for unter anderem that I might see in texts?
Yes, in written German it is extremely common to see this abbreviated as u. a. (with a space) or sometimes u.a. (without a space). You will encounter this frequently in news articles, emails, and formal writing.
Why is the ending on anderem an -em?
The preposition unter is a two-way preposition. In abstract, fixed, or static contexts like this one (where there is no movement from point A to point B), it takes the dative case. The -em ending is the dative neuter ending for ander- when it functions as a noun without a preceding article.
If I want to emphasize the "among other things" part, can I put unter anderem at the very beginning of the sentence?
Absolutely! You could say Unter anderem spricht sie Spanisch und Französisch. Just remember that German enforces the "V2" rule, meaning the conjugated verb must stay in the second position. Because unter anderem takes up position one, the verb spricht stays in position two, which pushes the subject sie to the other side of the verb.
Learn Sie spricht unter anderem Spanisch und Französisch and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free