Ich prüfe jede Frist, sei es die Leihfrist oder die Abholfrist.

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Breakdown of Ich prüfe jede Frist, sei es die Leihfrist oder die Abholfrist.

• jedes: every; (neuter, nominative or accusative)
• prüfen: to check
• die Frist: the deadline

Questions & Answers about Ich prüfe jede Frist, sei es die Leihfrist oder die Abholfrist.

What does sei es ... oder ... mean in this sentence?

Sei es ... oder ... is a set expression meaning something like:

• whether it be ... or ...
• be it ... or ...
• whether it is ... or ...

It introduces examples or alternatives under a more general statement.

So in Ich prüfe jede Frist, sei es die Leihfrist oder die Abholfrist, the speaker first says I check every deadline/period, and then adds two possible kinds of deadline: the loan period or the pickup period.

This expression is a bit more formal or literary than the most everyday alternatives.

Why is it sei and not ist?

Because sei is the Konjunktiv I form of sein.

Here, German uses sei es in a special formulaic expression. It does not sound like normal present-tense es ist. Instead, it has a slightly elevated, abstract sense: be it ...

Compare:

• es ist = it is
• sei es = be it / whether it be

So this is not just an ordinary verb choice; it is part of the fixed expression sei es ... oder ....

Is sei es a fixed phrase, or can I build it freely like other sentences?