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Beim Bergsteigen erklärt uns die Trainerin, wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern.

Beim Bergsteigen erklärt uns die Trainerin, wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern.
While mountaineering the trainer explains to us how we reduce the risk of injury on the slope.
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Questions & Answers about Beim Bergsteigen erklärt uns die Trainerin, wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern.

What does Beim Bergsteigen literally mean, and how does it compare to English?

Beim Bergsteigen is literally “while (engaging in) mountaineering / while climbing mountains”.

  • bei dem → contracted to beim = during / while doing / in the context of
  • Bergsteigen = mountaineering (literally mountain-climbing)

So the whole phrase functions like “while we are mountain climbing” or “during mountain climbing”.

Why is Bergsteigen capitalized here?

German capitalizes all nouns. Here, Bergsteigen is a verb used as a noun (a nominalized infinitive).

  • Verb: bergsteigen = to climb mountains
  • Noun form: das Bergsteigen = mountain climbing / mountaineering

When an infinitive with no article follows beim (or zum, im, etc.) and functions as an activity, it is treated as a noun and capitalized:

  • beim Schwimmen – while swimming
  • beim Lesen – while reading
  • beim Bergsteigen – while mountain climbing
What exactly is beim, and what case does it take?

beim is the contraction of bei dem.

  • bei is a preposition that always takes the dative case.
  • dem is the dative singular of the definite article der/das.
  • bei dem → beim

In this sentence, you can think of it as:

  • bei dem Bergsteigen → beim Bergsteigen

Grammatically, Bergsteigen is in the dative, but since it’s a nominalized infinitive without an article or adjective, it doesn’t change form.

Why does the sentence start with Beim Bergsteigen and then put erklärt second?

German main clauses follow the verb‑second rule (V2): the finite verb must be the second element in the sentence.

Here:

  1. Beim Bergsteigen = first element (a prepositional phrase of time/circumstance)
  2. erklärt = second element (the finite verb)
  3. The rest (objects, subject, etc.) follows.

So word order is:

  • Beim Bergsteigen (1) erklärt (2) uns die Trainerin, …

If you don’t front that phrase, you get the more neutral:

  • Die Trainerin erklärt uns beim Bergsteigen, wie …
Why does uns come before die Trainerin, even though die Trainerin is the subject?

In German, the subject is not required to stand directly after the verb. Within the “middle field” (between the conjugated verb and the clause‑final part), the order is influenced by:

  • pronoun vs. full noun
  • given/known information vs. new information
  • emphasis

A personal pronoun like uns usually comes before a full noun phrase like die Trainerin.

So:

  • Beim Bergsteigen erklärt uns die Trainerin, …
    = literally “While mountaineering explains to us the trainer, …”

Even though die Trainerin appears later, it is still the subject (nominative), and uns is an indirect object (dative). You could also say:

  • Beim Bergsteigen erklärt die Trainerin uns, …

This is also correct; the version with uns die Trainerin sounds slightly more natural when uns is clearly “known” and die Trainerin is the “new” piece of information.

What case is uns, and why is it dative here?

uns is in the dative case.

The verb erklären in this meaning typically has:

  • someone (dative): the person receiving the explanation
  • something (accusative): the thing being explained

For example:

  • Die Trainerin erklärt uns die Regeln.
    • uns = dative (to us)
    • die Regeln = accusative (the rules)

In the sentence given, the “thing explained” is not just a noun phrase but an entire “wie …”-clause (what she explains is how to reduce the risk of injury). We still mark the recipients with dative:

  • erklärt uns = explains to us
What is the function of wie here, and why not dass?

wie here introduces a content clause meaning “how”:

  • … erklärt uns die Trainerin, wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern.
    = “… explains to us how we reduce / can reduce the risk of injury on the slope.”

Compare:

  • dass = “that”
    • Sie erklärt uns, dass die Verletzungsgefahr hoch ist.
      – She explains to us that the risk of injury is high.
  • wie = “how”
    • Sie erklärt uns, wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr verringern.
      – She explains to us how we can reduce the risk of injury.

So wie is used because the focus is on the manner / method (how), not just on a bare fact (that).

Why does the verb verringern go to the end in wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern?

wie introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses the conjugated verb goes to the end.

Structure:

  • wie (subordinator)
  • wir (subject)
  • die Verletzungsgefahr (object)
  • am Abhang (prepositional phrase)
  • verringern (verb at the end)

If you turn it into a main clause question, the verb moves up:

  • Wie verringern wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang?
    (Here, verb‑second again because it’s a main clause question.)

So: main clause → verb in position 2; subordinate clause → verb at the end.

What does the compound noun Verletzungsgefahr mean exactly?

Verletzungsgefahr is a compound noun:

  • die Verletzung = injury
  • die Gefahr = danger, risk

So die Verletzungsgefahr = “danger of injury” / “risk of injury”.

Similar patterns:

  • Brandgefahr – fire risk
  • Lawinengefahr – avalanche danger
  • Erstickungsgefahr – risk of suffocation
Why is it am Abhang and not auf dem Abhang or something else?

am is the contraction of an dem:

  • an
    • dem (dative) → am

an is a two-way preposition (Wechselpräposition). With location (no movement) it generally takes dative. Here it describes being at / on the side of the slope:

  • am Abhang ≈ “on the slope / at the slope” (place where something is happening)

auf dem Abhang would sound more like on top of the slope’s surface (less idiomatic here), while am Abhang focuses on the area along or at the slope, which matches the idea of mountaineering near or on a steep slope.

So:

  • am Abhang = at/on the slope (location, dative)
  • Verb of location → dative: an + dative
What case is Abhang in, and why?

Abhang is in the dative case because it is governed by the preposition an (contracted in am), which here expresses location.

  • an
    • location (no movement towards) → dative
  • Form: an dem Abhang → am Abhang

If you described movement towards the slope, you’d use the accusative:

  • Wir gehen an den Abhang. – We go to the slope. (direction → accusative)
  • Wir stehen am Abhang. – We stand at/on the slope. (location → dative)
Could I also say Beim Bergsteigen erklärt die Trainerin uns, wie …? Is there a difference?

Yes, Beim Bergsteigen erklärt die Trainerin uns, wie … is also grammatically correct.

Both are fine:

  • Beim Bergsteigen erklärt uns die Trainerin, wie …
  • Beim Bergsteigen erklärt die Trainerin uns, wie …

Differences are subtle:

  • uns die Trainerin: follows the tendency pronoun before full noun and can slightly emphasize the pronoun (us) as known information.
  • die Trainerin uns: feels a bit more neutral, more like English word order.

In most everyday contexts, both versions would be understood as equivalent.

Is there any special comma rule with wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern?

Yes. In German, subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma.

  • Main clause: Beim Bergsteigen erklärt uns die Trainerin
  • Subordinate clause: wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern

So you must write:

  • Beim Bergsteigen erklärt uns die Trainerin, wie wir die Verletzungsgefahr am Abhang verringern.

Omitting the comma here is spelling/grammar wrong in standard written German.