German Language Asked by user44591 on October 25, 2021
This is a sentence for Donna Leon’s Acqua Alta, chapter 18:
Stattdessen fragte er: »Besteht die Chance, sie heute noch zu bekommen?«
Now, I would expect this sentence would be written more like this:
Stattdessen fragte er: "Besteht die Chance, dass Sie sie heute bekommen können?"
I do not recognize the grammar that permits the first version. Can someone explain?
A phrase like
…, sie heute noch zu bekommen
can be referred to as uneingeleiteter Infinitivsatz (infinitive clause without subjunction). In
… die Chance, sie heute noch zu bekommen
it is used attributiv (attributively, like a relative clause is). Uneingeleitete Infinitivsätze, however, can also be Inhaltssätze, i.e. serve as the subject or object of another sentence:
- Sie heute noch zu bekommen ist unmöglich (Subjektsatz)
- Ich glaube, sie heute noch zu bekommen (Objektsatz)
All Infinitivsätze have in common that they have no subject and obiously no finite verb.
Oftentimes, Infinitivsätze can be transferred into dass-clauses and vice versa. However, in both directions it's not always possible. This, e.g., was asked here.
Answered by amadeusamadeus on October 25, 2021
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