Breakdown of Wer aussetzt, darf eine Karte nachziehen.
Questions & Answers about Wer aussetzt, darf eine Karte nachziehen.
What does wer mean here?
Here wer does not mean just who? as a question word. It means whoever or anyone who.
So:
- Wer aussetzt, ... = Whoever skips a turn, ...
- Wer aussetzt, darf ... = Anyone who skips a turn may/is allowed to ...
This use of wer is very common in German.
Why is aussetzt at the end of the first part?
Because Wer aussetzt is a subordinate clause (more specifically, a clause introduced by wer), and in German subordinate clauses the finite verb goes to the end.
So the order is:
- Wer = whoever
- aussetzt = skips/sits out
Compare:
- Er setzt aus. = He skips a turn.
- Wer aussetzt, ... = Whoever skips a turn, ...
In the second sentence, the verb moves to the end because of the clause structure.
Is aussetzen a separable verb here?
Yes. Aussetzen is a separable verb.
In a normal main clause, it splits:
- Er setzt aus.
But in places where German keeps the verb together—such as:
- subordinate clauses
- infinitives
- past participles
it stays as one word:
- ..., weil er aussetzt.
- aussetzen
- ausgesetzt
So aussetzt is exactly what you would expect in this clause.
What does aussetzen mean in this sentence?
In this context, aussetzen means something like:
- to skip a turn
- to sit out a round
- to miss a go
The exact English wording depends on the game, but it usually means the player does not take a normal turn at that moment.
Why is there a comma after aussetzt?
Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:
- Wer aussetzt, = Whoever skips a turn,
- darf eine Karte nachziehen. = may draw an extra card.
German uses a comma to separate this introductory clause from the main clause.
What exactly does darf mean here?
Darf is from dürfen, which usually expresses permission.
So here it means:
- may
- is allowed to
It does not mean must.
So:
- Wer aussetzt, darf eine Karte nachziehen.
- = Whoever skips a turn may draw another card.
Depending on context, English might also use gets to.
Why is it nachziehen and not zieht ... nach?
Because nachziehen depends on the modal verb darf.
With a modal verb in German, the second verb goes to the end in the infinitive:
- Er darf eine Karte nachziehen.
Since nachziehen is a separable verb, it stays unsplit in the infinitive.
Compare:
- Er zieht eine Karte nach. = He draws an extra card.
- Er darf eine Karte nachziehen. = He may draw an extra card.
So both are correct, but the structure is different.
What does nachziehen mean here?
In this kind of game context, nachziehen means to draw an additional card or to draw a replacement card.
The prefix nach- often gives the idea of afterwards or in addition. So eine Karte nachziehen suggests drawing a card after the normal action or as compensation.
The exact translation depends on the game rules, but draw another card is often a natural English rendering.
Why is it eine Karte? What case is that?
Eine Karte is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of nachziehen.
The verb answers the question what may someone draw?
- eine Karte
Because Karte is feminine, the nominative and accusative forms of eine look the same:
- nominative: eine Karte
- accusative: eine Karte
So you cannot see the case difference in the article here, but grammatically it is accusative.
Is wer singular or plural? Why is the verb singular?
Grammatically, wer is treated as singular.
That is why the verbs are singular:
- Wer aussetzt, darf ...
Even though English may translate this as those who or people who, German still uses singular verb forms with wer in this kind of sentence.
So:
- Wer kommt, ist willkommen.
- Wer aussetzt, darf eine Karte nachziehen.
This is normal German usage.
Could German also say Wenn man aussetzt, darf man ... instead?
Yes, that would also be possible, but it is a slightly different structure.
Wer aussetzt, darf eine Karte nachziehen. = Whoever skips a turn may draw a card.
Wenn man aussetzt, darf man eine Karte nachziehen. = If you/one skip(s) a turn, you may draw a card.
The version with wer sounds a bit more like a rule applying to any person who meets that condition. It is very natural in instructions and rules.
What is the basic word order in the whole sentence?
The sentence has two parts:
Wer aussetzt
- subordinate clause
- verb at the end
darf eine Karte nachziehen
- main clause
- finite verb in second position
A useful way to see it is:
- [Wer aussetzt], [darf] [eine Karte] [nachziehen].
The whole first clause counts as one unit before the main clause, so the main clause still follows the usual verb-second rule.
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