Learn Hardcore German: Ein fehlerfreier Bericht wirkt professionell, besonders wenn er gewissenhaft geprüft wurde. - An error-free report appears professional, especially when it has been checked conscientiously.

No. wirken here means “to seem/appear,” “to come across as,” or “to have an effect.” The idea is “A flawless report comes across as professional,” not “works.” For “works/functions,” German uses funktionieren.

Why is it fehlerfreier and not just fehlerfrei?

Because fehlerfrei is an attributive adjective before a noun and must take an ending. With masculine nominative singular after ein, the correct ending is -er: ein fehlerfreier Bericht. Quick tip: after ein (which doesn’t show gender in nominative), the adjective carries the ending.

Why Ein and not Einen?

Ein fehlerfreier Bericht is the subject of wirkt, so it’s nominative. Einen is accusative and would be used if it were a direct object.

Why is the pronoun er used for “report”? Why not es?

Because Bericht is masculine in German: der Bericht. Pronouns must match grammatical gender, so you use er to refer back to it.

Why is the word order geprüft wurde and not wurde geprüft?

It’s a subordinate clause introduced by wenn, so the finite verb goes to the end. In passive, the participle precedes the finite auxiliary: … wenn er gewissenhaft geprüft wurde. In a main clause you’d say: Er wurde gewissenhaft geprüft.

Why use the passive (wurde geprüft) instead of an active form?

Passive shifts focus to the report and omits the checker, which suits a general statement. An active alternative is possible if you want to mention an agent: … besonders wenn jemand ihn gewissenhaft geprüft hat.

Why wurde geprüft (preterite passive) and not ist geprüft worden (perfect passive)?

Both are correct. Written German often prefers the preterite passive (wurde geprüft) for a neutral, formal tone. Ist geprüft worden is more common in spoken language and slightly emphasizes the present relevance of the completed action.

Can I say ist geprüft instead?

That’s the state passive (Zustandspassiv): er ist geprüft = “it is in a checked state.” It highlights the resulting state rather than the checking event. Your sentence stresses the act of checking, so wurde geprüft (eventive passive) fits better.

What does gewissenhaft add here? Are there close synonyms?

Gewissenhaft means “conscientiously,” implying thoroughness and a sense of duty. Near-synonyms:

sorgfältig = careful, meticulous
gründlich = thorough, in-depth All three work here; gewissenhaft slightly foregrounds diligence and responsibility.

Could I use überprüft instead of geprüft?

Yes, but there’s a nuance. prüfen = examine/test/check; überprüfen = check/verify (often re-check or verify correctness). In many contexts they overlap; gewissenhaft überprüft sounds very natural too.

Is the comma before besonders wenn required?

Yes. A comma is mandatory before a wenn-clause. You write: …, besonders wenn …. You don’t put a comma after besonders in this collocation.

Can I move besonders elsewhere?

Two common options:

Ein fehlerfreier Bericht wirkt besonders professionell, wenn … (emphasizes “especially professional”)
Ein fehlerfreier Bericht wirkt professionell, besonders wenn … (emphasizes the condition) Initial position (Besonders wirkt …) is possible but more marked/stylistic.

Could I replace wirkt with ist or scheint?

ist professionell states a fact (stronger claim).
wirkt professionell is about impression/appearance (neutral, safest here).
scheint professionell can imply uncertainty or inference (“seems to be”), sometimes more tentative than wirkt.

Why is it gewissenhaft geprüft and not geprüft gewissenhaft?

Adverbs like gewissenhaft typically precede the participle they modify in German: gewissenhaft geprüft. Post-verbal placement sounds odd here.

Can I say ein Bericht ohne Fehler instead of ein fehlerfreier Bericht?

Yes, both are correct. fehlerfrei is more compact and a bit more formal; ohne Fehler is slightly more conversational or explanatory.

Could I drop the pronoun and write …, besonders wenn gewissenhaft geprüft wurde?

Avoid that here. You’d lose the clear subject reference. er anchors the passive to Bericht; without it, the clause becomes vague or impersonal.

What case and ending would the adjective take if Bericht were an object?

Accusative masculine: Ich lese einen fehlerfreien Bericht. (article einen, adjective ending -en). With a definite article: Ich lese den fehlerfreien Bericht.

Is there a difference between fehlerfrei, fehlerlos, and mängelfrei?

fehlerfrei/fehlerlos: both “error-free”; largely interchangeable, fehlerfrei is slightly more common/neutral.
mängelfrei: “free of defects,” often in legal/technical contexts (goods, services).