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Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert.

Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert.
I trust the translator because she respects the truth of the text.
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Questions & Answers about Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert.

Why is it Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin and not Ich vertraue die Übersetzerin?

Because vertrauen takes the dative case, not the accusative.

  • The pattern is jemandem vertrauen = to trust someone (literally: to trust to someone).
  • der Übersetzerin is feminine singular dative of die Übersetzerin:
    • Nominative: die Übersetzerin (subject)
    • Accusative: die Übersetzerin (direct object)
    • Dative: der Übersetzerin ← used after vertrauen

So after ich vertraue, you must use der Übersetzerin in the dative, not the nominative/accusative die Übersetzerin.

How can I tell that Übersetzerin is feminine, and what would the masculine form be?

The ending -in is the standard marker for a female person in many professions and roles.

  • Masculine: der Übersetzer = (male) translator
  • Feminine: die Übersetzerin = (female) translator
  • Plurals:
    • mixed/masculine group: die Übersetzer
    • only women: die Übersetzerinnen

In the sentence, der Übersetzerin is dative singular of the feminine noun die Übersetzerin.

Why is the verb vertraue and not vertraut or something else?

The verb vertrauen is conjugated according to the subject ich.

Present tense of vertrauen:

  • ich vertraue
  • du vertraust
  • er/sie/es vertraut
  • wir vertrauen
  • ihr vertraut
  • sie/Sie vertrauen

Since the subject is ich, the correct form is ich vertraue.
vertraut would be correct with er/sie/es or ihr, not with ich.

What exactly does vertraue mean here, and how is it different from glaube?

Both involve believing, but the focus is different:

  • jemandem vertrauen = to trust someone (you rely on their character, reliability, honesty)
    • Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin = I trust her as a person / as a professional.
  • jemandem glauben = to believe someone (you believe what they say in that moment)
    • Ich glaube der Übersetzerin = I believe what she says / I think her statement is true.

In this sentence, vertrauen fits better because it’s about general trust in her work and integrity, not just believing one single statement.

Why is there a comma before weil, and why does respektiert go to the end?

Weil is a subordinating conjunction (like because in English), and in German that has two consequences:

  1. Comma: In standard German, a comma is mandatory before a subordinate clause:

    • Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, weil …

  2. Verb to the end: In a weil-clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end:

    • weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert
    • Subject (sie) → objects (die Wahrheit des Textes) → finite verb (respektiert).

So the structure is:

  • Main clause (verb in 2nd position): Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin,
  • Subordinate clause with weil (verb at the end): weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert.
What is the difference between weil and denn if both can mean “because”?

Both can translate as because, but:

  • weil

    • Is a subordinating conjunction.
    • Sends the conjugated verb to the end of its clause.
    • More neutral and very common in speech and writing.
    • Example: Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert.

  • denn

    • Is a coordinating conjunction.
    • Does not change word order (verb stays in position 2).
    • Slightly more formal/literary, or used for giving explanations.
    • Example: Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, denn sie respektiert die Wahrheit des Textes.

Meaning is similar, but grammar (word order) changes.

Why is it die Wahrheit des Textes and not die Wahrheit von dem Text?

Both are possible, but des Textes (genitive) is more idiomatic and stylistically better here.

  • die Wahrheit des Textes

    • Genitive construction: “the truth of the text”.
    • Feels more formal and precise, especially in written or academic language.
    • Very natural with abstract nouns like Wahrheit.

  • die Wahrheit von dem Text (colloquial: vom Text)

    • Uses von + dative instead of genitive.
    • Grammatically correct but typically more colloquial and less elegant in this context.
    • Often used in spoken German, or where genitive sounds heavy.

In careful written German, die Wahrheit des Textes is clearly preferred.

What is going on grammatically in des Textes? Why the -es ending?

Des Textes is genitive singular masculine:

  • Nominative: der Text
  • Accusative: den Text
  • Dative: dem Text
  • Genitive: des Textes

For many masculine and neuter nouns in the singular, genitive adds -s or -es:

  • des Hauses, des Tages, des Buches
  • des Textes (also correctly possible: des Texts)

Both des Textes and des Texts are grammatically correct; des Textes sounds a bit more formal/traditional.

Could I also say Weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert, vertraue ich der Übersetzerin? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct, and the meaning is essentially the same.

  • Original order:
    • Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert.
  • Fronted subordinate clause:
    • Weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert, vertraue ich der Übersetzerin.

Differences:

  • Word order: You move the weil-clause to the front.
  • After the comma, the main clause still keeps verb in 2nd position: vertraue ich ….
  • Pragmatically, fronting the weil-clause can slightly emphasize the reason first, but in everyday use there’s no real change in meaning.
Why is the pronoun sie used, and what does it refer to here?

Sie here refers back to der Übersetzerin.

  • die Übersetzerin is feminine singular.
  • The corresponding 3rd-person singular pronoun is sie = she.
  • So weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert means because she respects the truth of the text.

Note:

  • Lowercase sie = she or they (depending on context).
  • Capital Sie = polite you. In this sentence, context and agreement with Übersetzerin make it clear that sie = she.
Why is die Wahrheit in the accusative, and how can I see that?

In the weil-clause, respektiert is the verb and needs a direct object in the accusative:

  • Verb: respektieren (to respect) → takes an accusative object.
  • Object: die Wahrheit des Textes.

For feminine singular die Wahrheit, nominative and accusative look the same:

  • Nominative: die Wahrheit (as subject)
  • Accusative: die Wahrheit (as direct object)

Here, sie is the subject (nominative), die Wahrheit des Textes is the direct object (accusative), even though the form die Wahrheit doesn’t change.

Could I say Ich vertraue der Übersetzerin, weil sie den Text respektiert instead? Does it mean the same?

You can say that, but it is slightly different in nuance:

  • weil sie die Wahrheit des Textes respektiert

    • Focuses on truthfulness, faithfulness to the original meaning.
    • Suggests she respects what is true in the text, not just the text as an object.

  • weil sie den Text respektiert

    • Grammatical, but sounds a bit odd: “because she respects the text”.
    • Could be understood more generally as respecting the text, its style, its importance.
    • It doesn’t clearly express the idea of being truthful/faithful to the content.

If you want to emphasize accuracy and faithfulness in translation, die Wahrheit des Textes is the more natural and precise expression.