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Ich finde es gerecht, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.

Ich finde es gerecht, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.
I think it is fair that everyone has the same freedom in everyday life.
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Questions & Answers about Ich finde es gerecht, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.

Why is there es in Ich finde es gerecht? Why can’t I just say Ich finde gerecht?

In Ich finde es gerecht, …, the es is a so‑called “placeholder” (dummy) object.

  • The real thing you are judging is the whole dass‑clause:
    dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben
    = that everyone has the same freedom in everyday life.

  • German often does not like a bare adjective (gerecht) directly after finden when the “thing” you are judging is a whole clause. Instead, it uses es as a dummy direct object and then describes this es with the adjective:

    • Ich finde es gerecht, dass … = I find it just that …
    • Ich finde es gut, dass …
    • Ich finde es schade, dass …

You could say Ich finde das gerecht, but then das would usually refer to a specific situation already mentioned, not to the whole following clause.

Ich finde gerecht on its own is ungrammatical in standard German in this sense; it needs an object (es / das / diese Regel, etc.).

What exactly does gerecht mean here? How is it different from fair?

Gerecht is close to “just” / “fair” in English, but it has a slightly more moral / legal feel:

  • gerecht: in accordance with justice, morally or legally right

    • eine gerechte Strafe = a just / appropriate punishment
    • ein gerechtes System = a just system

  • fair (German loanword from English): often used in everyday, informal contexts, especially about behavior, rules, games, sports:

    • Das ist nicht fair! = That’s not fair!
    • ein fairer Preis = a fair price

You could say:

  • Ich finde es fair, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.

That sounds a bit more casual and less “political / philosophical” than gerecht. In your sentence, gerecht underlines a sense of justice, equality, and rights.

Why is there a comma before dass, and what is the difference between dass and das here?
  1. Comma before dass

In German, dass introduces a subordinate clause (Nebensatz).
Rule: a subordinate clause is normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

  • Main clause: Ich finde es gerecht
  • Subordinate clause: dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben

So you must write:

  • Ich finde es gerecht, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.
  1. dass vs. das

  • dass (with double s) is a conjunction, usually translated as “that”:

    • Ich glaube, dass er kommt. = I believe that he is coming.

  • das (with one s) can be:

    • a demonstrative pronoun: Das ist gut. = That is good.
    • a relative pronoun: Das Buch, das ich lese, …
    • the neuter article: das Kind = the child

In your sentence, we are clearly introducing a clause with that, so we must use dass.

Why is the verb haben at the end of dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben?

This is a core feature of German word order:

  • In main clauses, the conjugated verb is in position 2:

    • Ich finde es gerecht.

  • In subordinate clauses introduced by dass, the conjugated verb goes at the end:

    • …, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.

Structure of the subordinate clause:

  • dass (subordinating conjunction)
  • alle (subject)
  • die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag (object + adverbial phrase)
  • haben (finite verb at the end)

You cannot say:

  • ❌ … dass alle haben die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag.

That would sound clearly wrong to a native speaker.

Why is it alle and not allen in dass alle die gleiche Freiheit … haben?

Alle here is the subject of the subordinate clause, so it must be in the nominative plural:

  • Wer hat die Freiheit? – Alle.
    (Who has the freedom? – Everyone.)

Forms of alle:

  • Nominative plural: alle
  • Dative plural: allen

You need nominative, because alle is performing the action (haben). If you said allen, you would be using dative, which is wrong in this structure:

  • ✅ dass alle die gleiche Freiheit haben (All have the same freedom.)
  • ❌ dass allen die gleiche Freiheit haben

You do see allen in sentences where it is truly dative, e.g.:

  • Ich wünsche allen die gleiche Freiheit.
    (I wish everyone the same freedom.)
    – Here allen is dative: to everyone.
Why is it die gleiche Freiheit and not something like denselben Freiheit or die selbe Freiheit?

German distinguishes between gleich and selb-:

  1. gleich = the same kind / equal / identical in quality
  • die gleiche Freiheit = the same kind of freedom / equal freedom
    Everyone has equal freedom.
  1. selb- (derselbe, dieselbe, dasselbe) = the exact same individual thing
  • dieselbe Freiheit would suggest literally the identical freedom in some very concrete sense, which usually doesn’t fit well with Freiheit.
    It’s natural with concrete objects:
    • Wir lesen dasselbe Buch. = We are reading the exact same copy of the book.
    • Wir lesen das gleiche Buch. can mean same title, different copies.

So die gleiche Freiheit is the natural phrase here, meaning equal freedom.

Also note: denselben Freiheit is wrong for two reasons:

  • Freiheit is feminine, so it would be dieselbe Freiheit, not denselben.
  • In your sentence, Freiheit is accusative singular feminine (direct object of haben), where the correct form of the article would be die or part of dieselbe, not den.
Why is the adjective ending gleiche and not gleichen / gleicher / gleiches?

The phrase is die gleiche Freiheit.

Break it down:

  • Freiheit is feminine.
  • It is the direct object of haben, so it’s in the accusative singular.
  • With a definite article (die) in front, weak adjective declension is used:
    • die
      • adjective + feminine accusative singular → adjective gets just ‑e.

Pattern (feminine, definite article):

  • Nominative: die gleiche Freiheit
  • Accusative: die gleiche Freiheit
  • Dative: der gleichen Freiheit
  • Genitive: der gleichen Freiheit

So die gleiche Freiheit is correct. You would get forms like gleichen in other cases, e.g.:

  • mit der gleichen Freiheit (dative)
  • wegen der gleichen Freiheit (genitive)
What does im Alltag mean exactly, and why is it im and not in dem?

Im Alltag literally means “in everyday life” or “in day‑to‑day life”.

  • Alltag = everyday life, daily routine, the normal day
  • in + dem contracts in spoken and written German to im:
    • in dem Alltag → im Alltag

So:

  • im Alltag = in dem Alltag = in everyday life / in daily life

This phrase is an adverbial: it specifies the context in which the freedom exists:

  • …, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.
    = that everyone has the same freedom in their everyday lives.

Alternatives with slightly different nuances:

  • im täglichen Leben (in everyday life – more literal)
  • im Alltag (very common, idiomatic)
  • jeden Tag (every day – more about frequency, not quite the same).
Could I just say Ich finde, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

  • Ich finde, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.

This is grammatically correct and common. The difference is in what you’re emphasizing:

  1. Ich finde es gerecht, dass …

    • Focuses on your value judgment: you think it’s just / right.
    • The adjective gerecht is explicit.

  2. Ich finde, dass …

    • More neutral: “I think that …” without explicitly saying what you think about it (good, bad, just, unjust, etc.).
    • You’re just stating your opinion that this is the case.

In your original sentence, es gerecht makes clear you are judging this situation as just/fair, not merely asserting that it happens.

Why is the verb haben used instead of something like genießen (to enjoy) or besitzen (to own)?

In German, haben is very commonly used with abstract nouns like Freiheit, Rechte, Möglichkeiten, etc.:

  • Freiheit haben = to have / enjoy freedom
  • Rechte haben = to have rights
  • Möglichkeiten haben = to have opportunities

Using haben:

  • dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben
    = that everyone has the same freedom in everyday life.

Alternatives would slightly change the nuance:

  • Freiheit genießen = to enjoy freedom (emphasizes the positive experience)
  • Freiheit besitzen = to possess freedom (sounds more formal/abstract)

You could say:

  • dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag genießen
    – This stresses that they can make use of that freedom and benefit from it.

But haben is the most neutral and idiomatic choice.

Could I replace dass with wenn in this sentence? For example: Ich finde es gerecht, wenn alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.

Yes, Ich finde es gerecht, wenn alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben is also grammatical, but there is a nuance:

  • dass introduces a fact / situation you are judging:

    • Ich finde es gerecht, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.
      = I find it just that everyone (indeed) has the same freedom.

  • wenn in this type of sentence can express a general condition or whenever‑type situation:

    • Ich finde es gerecht, wenn alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.
      = I find it just when(ever) everyone has the same freedom.

So:

  • With dass, you are usually judging a concrete or assumed reality.
  • With wenn, you’re describing under which condition something is just (more like a general statement of principle).

Both are acceptable, but the original with dass fits well if you are talking about a specific real or desired situation.

How would this sentence change in the past tense, and does the word order stay the same?

To put the main clause into past tense, you change finde to fand (preterite):

  • Ich fand es gerecht, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag haben.
    = I found it just that everyone has the same freedom in everyday life.

If you also want the subordinate clause in the past, you change haben to hatten:

  • Ich fand es gerecht, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag hatten.
    = I found it just that everyone had the same freedom in everyday life.

Important: the word order in the dass‑clause stays the same:

  • Conjugated verb (haben / hatten) still goes to the end:
    • …, dass alle die gleiche Freiheit im Alltag hatten.

Only the verb forms (present vs past) change; the syntactic structure does not.