Reading · A1 · Text 10
Sonne
Von der Sonne gehen aber auch viele Strahlen aus, die alles Leben auf der Erde töten würden, wenn sie nicht abgehalten werden.
But the sun also emits many rays that would kill all life on Earth if they were not blocked.
Das Magnetfeld der Erde schützt uns aber vor dieser gefährlichen Strahlung.
But the Earth's magnetic field protects us from this dangerous radiation.
8 words above A1
Grammar in this text
Relative clause with relative pronoun 'die'
die alles Leben auf der Erde töten würden
A relative clause that modifies the noun 'Strahlen'. The relative pronoun 'die' refers to the plural noun and is the subject of the clause. In German, the finite verb (würden) is placed at the end of the relative clause.
Passive voice with werden + Partizip II
abgehalten werden
The passive voice is formed with the auxiliary 'werden' and the past participle. Here the rays (Strahlen) are the subject of the passive: they are being kept off. This construction emphasizes the action rather than the agent.
Konjunktiv II with würde + infinitive
töten würden
The subjunctive II form with 'würde' + infinitive is used to describe a hypothetical or unreal situation. In this sentence it expresses what would happen if the rays were not stopped. In a subordinate clause, the infinitive comes before the finite verb 'würden' at the end.
Keep going
Text from Sonne — Klexikon, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. See sources.
Translation, glossary and grammar notes are machine-generated and inherit the same licence.