Breaking the bracket legally: comparisons after the verb (besser als gedacht), heavy phrases, spoken Ausklammerung; what may leave the frame
I know what may legally leave the verbal bracket and what must stay inside.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Der Umzug hat weniger gekostet, als wir befürchtet hatten.
The move cost less than we had feared.
Sie hat sich jahrelang gekümmert um den alten Obstgarten hinter der Kirche.
For years she looked after the old orchard behind the church.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
German main clauses close with a verbal bracket: Ich habe das Brot gestern beim Bäcker gekauft. The finite verb opens it, the participle or infinitive closes it, and the objects go in between. English speakers are told early on that everything belongs inside, so it comes as a surprise that German also has a slot after the closing verb: the Nachfeld. Moving material there is called Ausklammerung, "taking it out of the bracket".
| Candidate for the Nachfeld | Example | Status |
|---|---|---|
| comparison with als / wie | Es lief besser, als wir dachten. | standard |
| subordinate clauses, infinitive groups | Er hat versprochen, pünktlich zu kommen. | standard |
| short comparison phrases | Sie ist schneller gelaufen als ihr Bruder. | common, also in writing |
| heavy prepositional phrases | Sie hat lange gearbeitet an dem Bericht über die Hochwasserschäden. | acceptable when heavy |
| simple objects | *Ich habe gekauft das Brot. | wrong |
The bracket closes, and what is heavy or clause-like may follow. Subordinate clauses and zu-infinitives go after the verb as a matter of course: Ich habe vergessen, dass heute Feiertag ist, not the clumsy Ich habe, dass heute Feiertag ist, vergessen. Comparisons with als and wie are the next candidates: Der Umzug hat weniger gekostet, als wir befürchtet hatten is far more natural than squeezing the als-clause into the middle.
A short, plain object or adverb does not leave the bracket in standard German. *Ich habe gekauft das Brot is what English speakers tend to produce, because English puts the object after the participle. In German the participle has to come last.
Spoken German is more generous. People add things after the verb as afterthoughts: Ich war einkaufen, gestern noch schnell. Wir treffen uns morgen, so um acht. You will hear this every day and can use it in conversation. Formal writing stays closer to the bracket, apart from the standard cases above.
Two reasons. First, processing: a long phrase inside the bracket makes the reader wait for the verb that tells them what is going on. Moving it out shortens the wait. Second, emphasis: the end of the sentence is a focus position, so Er hat sich entschuldigt bei allen Gästen puts weight on who received the apology. Used sparingly in writing, it is a mark of a confident style rather than a mistake.
Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesSimple object after the bracket
Objects close inside the frame
als-comparison inside
Comparisons standardly follow the bracket
Der Umzug hat weniger gekostet, als wir befürchtet hatten.
The move cost less than we had feared.
als-clause in the Nachfeld: the standard break.
Sie hat sich jahrelang gekümmert um den alten Obstgarten hinter der Kirche.
For years she looked after the old orchard behind the church.
Heavy PP ausgeklammert: acceptable under weight.
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Practice in course
Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises