Breakdown of Schließlich schrieb ich noch einen kurzen Bericht, der alle Schlüsselwörter enthält und den Zweck des Projekts in einer neuen Version erklärt.
und
and
in
in
neu
new
ich
I
noch
still
schreiben
to write
das Projekt
the project
alle
all
erklären
to explain
der
that
kurz
short
der Bericht
the report
der Zweck
the purpose
die Version
the version
das Schlüsselwort
the keyword
schließlich
finally
enthalten
to contain
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Questions & Answers about Schließlich schrieb ich noch einen kurzen Bericht, der alle Schlüsselwörter enthält und den Zweck des Projekts in einer neuen Version erklärt.
Why does the sentence start with Schließlich, and how does that affect the word order?
Schließlich is a sentential adverb meaning finally or in the end. In German main clauses you must adhere to the V2-rule (verb-second). Placing Schließlich in the first slot forces the finite verb schrieb into the second position.
What exactly does noch mean in schrieb ich noch einen kurzen Bericht, and why is it placed there?
Here noch means “in addition” or “one more” (“I wrote yet another short report”). It’s a sentence-level adverb and normally appears in the “middle field” after the subject, so schrieb ich noch…
Why is the phrase einen kurzen Bericht in the accusative case, and why is the adjective ending –en?
Bericht is the direct object of schrieb, so it takes accusative. Masculine singular accusative of the indefinite article is einen. After an indefinite article, adjectives take the weak ending –en in all gender/case combinations except nominative neuter (–es).
Why is there a comma before der, and when do we use commas with relative clauses in German?
Relative clauses are subordinate clauses and are always set off by commas. Here der introduces the relative clause describing einen kurzen Bericht, so you place a comma immediately before it.
What function does the relative pronoun der have, and why is it in the nominative case?
The pronoun der refers back to Bericht (masculine singular) and serves as the subject of the relative clause. Subjects in German are in the nominative case, hence der (not den or dem).
Why are there two verbs (enthält and erklärt) in the relative clause, and why is erklärt at the very end?
Inside the relative clause you actually have two coordinated subordinate clauses joined by und:
- … alle Schlüsselwörter enthält
- … den Zweck des Projekts in einer neuen Version erklärt
Both share the same subject (der Bericht). In each subordinate clause the finite verb goes to the end. That’s why enthält ends the first part, erklärt ends the second. The second subject pronoun is omitted because it’s identical to the first.
In den Zweck des Projekts, why is Zweck accusative and Projekts genitive?
Zweck is the direct object of erklärt, so it’s accusative (den Zweck). des Projekts specifies whose purpose—genitive shows possession. Projekt is neuter, so genitive singular is formed with des plus -s on the noun.
Why is in einer neuen Version in the dative case, and how do we know the adjective ending?
The preposition in can govern either accusative (movement) or dative (location/means). Here it describes the version in which something is explained (no movement), so you use dative. Version is feminine, dative singular of the indefinite article is einer. After an article, the adjective neuen takes the weak ending -en (feminine dative).