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Breakdown of Sie unterrichtet ehrlich und erklärt, warum jede Note gerecht ist.
sein
to be
und
and
sie
she
erklären
to explain
warum
why
jede
every
die Note
the grade
unterrichten
to teach
ehrlich
honestly
gerecht
fair
Questions & Answers about Sie unterrichtet ehrlich und erklärt, warum jede Note gerecht ist.
How come ehrlich has no adjective ending here?
In German, when an adjective modifies a verb (i.e., acts as an adverb), it remains in its base form. Thus ehrlich simply means honestly, describing how she teaches.
Why is there a comma before warum?
German requires a comma before a subordinate clause. Since warum jede Note gerecht ist is a Nebensatz introduced by warum, you must separate it from the main clause with a comma.
Why does ist appear at the end of the subordinate clause?
In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb moves to the very end. Hence in warum jede Note gerecht ist, ist must come last.
What does jede do in jede Note?
jede means every or each and agrees in gender (feminine), number (singular), and case (nominative) with Note. Together they form the subject of the clause.
Could you use fair instead of gerecht?
You could, but there’s a nuance. fair is more colloquial and emphasizes equal treatment, while gerecht stresses moral or legal rightness—i.e., the grade is truly justified.
Why doesn’t the second verb erklärt repeat the subject Sie?
When two verbs share the same subject in German, you connect them with und and omit the repeated subject. It’s understood as Sie unterrichtet … und (sie) erklärt ….
How do you know Sie means “she” and not the formal “you”?
The verb form unterrichtet is third-person singular, which matches she. The formal Sie always pairs with the infinitive-like form unterrichten, not unterrichtet.
More from this lesson
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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