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Früher habe ich an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt, heute traue ich mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.

Früher habe ich an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt, heute traue ich mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.
In the past I doubted my self-confidence; today I dare to speak aloud in the course.
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Questions & Answers about Früher habe ich an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt, heute traue ich mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.

Why is Früher at the beginning of the sentence, and what exactly does it mean here?

Früher means in the past / earlier (in my life).

Putting Früher at the very beginning:

  • emphasizes the contrast between past and today
  • occupies the Vorfeld (the first position in the sentence), which then forces the verb (habe) into second position:
    • Früher habe ich an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt …

You could also say:

  • Ich habe früher an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt …

The meaning is almost the same, but starting with Früher makes the time contrast with heute much stronger and more stylistic.

Why is it habe ich gezweifelt and not simple past zweifelte?

In spoken German, the Perfekt (present perfect) is much more common than the Präteritum (simple past) for most verbs:

  • Perfekt: ich habe gezweifelt (everyday spoken German)
  • Präteritum: ich zweifelte (sounds literary / old-fashioned in conversation)

Both forms refer to the past. Using habe gezweifelt is just the normal, natural choice in modern spoken German. Using zweifelte would not be wrong, but would sound like written style or a storybook.

Why is it an meinem Selbstbewusstsein zweifeln and not accusative, like mein Selbstbewusstsein zweifeln?

The verb zweifeln in German normally takes the preposition an with the dative case:

  • an etwas zweifeln = to doubt something / to have doubts about something

So:

  • Ich zweifle an dir. = I doubt you.
  • Ich habe an meinen Fähigkeiten gezweifelt. = I doubted my abilities.
  • Ich habe an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt. = Literally: I doubted (or had doubts about) my self-confidence.

Because of an, you must use dative:

  • masculine/neuter dative: an meinem …
  • plural dative: an meinen …

An accusative form (mein Selbstbewusstsein zweifeln) would be ungrammatical with zweifeln.

Why is it meinem Selbstbewusstsein and not mein Selbstbewusstsein?

After an, you must use the dative case.

Selbstbewusstsein is neuter (das Selbstbewusstsein). The dative form of the possessive mein for neuter singular is:

  • mein (nominative)
  • meinem (dative)

So:

  • an meinem Selbstbewusstsein = about my self-confidence (dative)
  • If it were nominative: Mein Selbstbewusstsein ist stärker geworden.
What exactly does Selbstbewusstsein mean? Is it like “self-consciousness” in English?

Selbstbewusstsein usually means self-confidence / self-assurance (a positive thing).

English “self-conscious” is usually negative (feeling awkward about yourself). That is not what Selbstbewusstsein means.

Some useful comparisons:

  • Selbstbewusstsein haben = to have self-confidence
  • selbstbewusst sein = to be confident / self-assured
  • an seinem Selbstbewusstsein zweifeln = to doubt your own self-confidence (to feel insecure about yourself)
What is the difference between früher and heute in this sentence?

They mark a time contrast:

  • Früher = in the past / earlier (some earlier period, not specified)
  • heute = today / nowadays (the current situation)

The sentence is structured as a clear “then vs now” contrast:

  • Früher (then) habe ich an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt,
  • heute (now) traue ich mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.
Why is there just a comma between the two parts, without und?

You actually have two main clauses:

  1. Früher habe ich an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt,
  2. heute traue ich mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.

In German, it is stylistically acceptable to connect two closely related main clauses with just a comma, especially when they form a clear contrast, like früher–heute.

You could also say:

  • Früher habe ich an meinem Selbstbewusstsein gezweifelt, aber heute traue ich mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.

Adding aber makes the contrast explicit, but is not required.

Why is traue ich mich reflexive? Why not just ich traue?

sich trauen (reflexive) is a common verb meaning:

  • sich trauen, etwas zu tun = to dare to do something / to have the courage to do something

So:

  • Ich traue mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.
    = I dare to speak loudly in class. / I have the courage to speak aloud in class.

Without the reflexive pronoun, jemandem/etwas trauen means to trust (someone/something):

  • Ich traue ihm. = I trust him.
  • Ich traue diesem Angebot nicht. = I don’t trust this offer.

So:

  • Ich traue mich. = I dare (I have the courage).
  • Ich traue dir. = I trust you.

Different meanings, distinguished by the reflexive pronoun.

Why is it traue ich mich and not ich traue mich?

This is verb-second word order in a main clause.

The first position is taken by the adverb heute:

  • heute (1st position)
  • traue (finite verb in 2nd position)
  • ich (subject)
  • mich (reflexive pronoun)

So: heute traue ich mich …

If you removed heute, it would indeed be:

  • Ich traue mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.

German main clause rule:
Exactly one element in first position → conjugated verb must be in second position.

Why is there a comma before im Kurs laut zu sprechen?

The structure … mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen is an infinitive clause with zu:

  • (jemand traut sich,) etwas zu tun = (someone dares) to do something

German grammar requires a comma before most zu + infinitive clauses, especially when they are longer or have their own little structure:

  • Ich versuche, jeden Tag Deutsch zu sprechen.
  • Sie hat beschlossen, nach Berlin zu ziehen.

So here:

  • … traue ich mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.
    → comma introduces the zu sprechen infinitive clause.
What does laut sprechen mean? Is it about volume or rudeness?

laut here refers to volume: speaking audibly, not whispering, making your voice heard.

  • laut sprechen = to speak loudly / to speak out loud

It does not automatically mean rude or aggressive. It just means the person now dares to speak where others can hear them, e.g. participating in class.

Examples:

  • Kannst du bitte ein bisschen lauter sprechen? = Could you speak a bit louder, please?
  • Sie hat leise gesprochen. = She spoke quietly / softly.
What exactly does im Kurs mean? Why not im Unterricht?

im Kurs is in (the) course / in class, referring to a specific course (e.g. a German course).

  • im = in + dem (dative)
  • der Kurs → dative singular: dem Kurs → im Kurs

Unterricht is more general:

  • im Unterricht = during the lesson / in class (more about the teaching situation itself)
  • im Kurs = in this specific course/program (e.g. your German A2 course)

In many everyday contexts, im Kurs and im Unterricht can overlap, but here im Kurs makes it clear we are talking about a particular course the speaker is attending.

Is there a difference between Ich traue mich, laut zu sprechen and Ich traue mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen?

Yes, the second is more specific.

  • Ich traue mich, laut zu sprechen.
    → I dare to speak loudly (in general, in situations where I speak).

  • Ich traue mich, im Kurs laut zu sprechen.
    → I dare to speak loudly in class / in the course (specifically in that setting, e.g. answering questions in a language class).

Adding im Kurs narrows down the situation where the new confidence shows up.