Breakdown of Der Fahrradweg wird täglich genutzt, deshalb achten wir auf Sicherheit.
wir
we
deshalb
therefore
täglich
daily
die Sicherheit
the safety
der Fahrradweg
the bike path
werden genutzt
to be used
achten auf
to pay attention to
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Questions & Answers about Der Fahrradweg wird täglich genutzt, deshalb achten wir auf Sicherheit.
Why is the sentence using the passive voice with wird genutzt? What does that emphasize?
The German passive is formed with werden + past participle (here genutzt). It shifts the focus from who is doing the action to the action itself—in this case, that the bicycle path gets used every day. If you wanted to mention the users, you’d use the active voice (e.g. Man nutzt den Fahrradweg täglich).
Could I say Der Fahrradweg wird täglich benutzt instead of genutzt? Is there a difference?
Yes. Both nutzen and benutzen mean “to use,” and either works in the passive (wird genutzt vs wird benutzt). Benutzen is a bit more colloquial, but there’s no major meaning difference here.
Why is there a comma before deshalb? Is it mandatory?
When you link two independent clauses in German—even with an adverb like deshalb instead of a conjunction—you must separate them with a comma:
…genutzt, deshalb achten wir…
Why does deshalb come at the beginning of the second clause, and how does that affect word order?
German is a V2 (verb-second) language. Placing deshalb in the first position pushes the finite verb (achten) into the second position, so you get deshalb achten wir. If you move deshalb to the middle, you’d say wir achten deshalb auf Sicherheit (standard S-V-O).
Are there synonyms for deshalb, and are they interchangeable?
Yes. Deswegen and darum are direct synonyms meaning “therefore/that’s why.” You could equally say:
- …, deswegen achten wir auf Sicherheit.
- …, darum achten wir auf Sicherheit.
Why is täglich placed between wird and genutzt? Can I move it elsewhere?
Temporal adverbs like täglich typically come right before the past participle or main verb. In passive voice: wird + täglich + genutzt. For emphasis you can also front it:
Täglich wird der Fahrradweg genutzt, …
What case is Der Fahrradweg in, and why?
In Der Fahrradweg wird täglich genutzt, Fahrradweg is the subject of the passive clause, so it’s in the nominative case. The article der reflects masculine nominative singular.
Why is there no article before Sicherheit in achten wir auf Sicherheit?
When referring to an abstract concept in general terms, German often omits the article. Here Sicherheit means “safety” in a general sense. If you spoke of a specific measure, you could use an article: auf die Sicherheit.
Which case does auf govern in achten wir auf Sicherheit, and how do I recognize it?
With the verb achten, the preposition auf always takes the accusative case. Since Sicherheit is feminine, its accusative form is identical to its nominative form (die Sicherheit → Sicherheit without article).
Why can’t I use damit instead of deshalb at the start of the second clause?
Damit is a subordinating conjunction meaning “so that” (expressing purpose) and forces verb-final word order in its clause. Here the meaning is “for that reason/result,” so you need deshalb, not damit, to express “therefore.”