Reading · B2 · Text 6

Hiob

49 words1 min read100% known at B2

Wenn er leiden muss, muss das bedeuten, dass er selbst etwas Schlechtes getan hat.

If he has to suffer, it must mean that he himself has done something bad.

Er verliert aber nicht seinen Glauben und will Gott trotzdem weiter dienen.

But he does not lose his faith and wants to continue serving God anyway.

Er bedankt sich, dass er ihm trotz allem treu geblieben ist.

He thanks him for remaining faithful to him despite everything.

Als Belohnung segnet Gott ihn und schenkt ihm eine langes, glückliches Leben.

As a reward, God blesses him and gives him a long, happy life.

17 words above B2

to suffer leidet, litt, gelitten to suffer, to experience pain, sorrow, etc.; to suffer, bear, endure, undergo, experience (some hardship); to suffer B1/ˈlaɪ̯dən/
to mean regular to imply, to mean, to signify, to indicate, to spell, to betoken; to have meaning, to be important to some degree (to a person); to signify, to… A1/bəˈdɔɪ̯tn̩/
Schlechtes← schlecht
something bad (nominalized adjective) used as noun: etwas Schlechtes bad, evil, wicked (the opposite of good; immoral); bad (unskilled; of limited ability); bad (unhealthy, unwell) A1/ʃlɛçt/
verliert← verlieren
to lose verliert, verlor, verloren to lose (something, or a game); to shed; to trail away, to fade away A2[fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]
Glauben← der Glaube
faith only singular; in this text in accusative belief, faith; faith, creed B2/ˈɡlaʊ̯bə/
God proper noun in religious context god; God B1/ɡɔt/
nevertheless anyhow, nevertheless; although B1/ˈtʁɔtsdeːm/
continue (to do something) used with verb: weiter dienen further, farther, more; on; expresses the continuation of an action; go on A1[ˈvaɪ̯tɐ]
to serve regular; often with dative to serve; to serve, to be a servant (e.g. a butler or maid); to assist, to be of assistance B1[ˈdiːnən]
bedankt sich← sich bedanken
to thank reflexive; regular
faithful, loyal loyal; faithful; true B1/tʁɔɪ̯/
geblieben← bleiben
to stay, remain bleibt, blieb, ist geblieben to remain (to continue to be); to keep (on); to continue [with infinitive ‘doing something’] (see usage notes below); to stay; to remain in a place A1/ˈblaɪ̯bən/
reward plural: Belohnungen reward, bounty B2/bəˈloːnʊŋ/
segnet← segnen
to bless regular B2/ˈzeːknən/
schenkt← schenken
to give (as a gift) regular; often with dative and accusative to give as a present, to gift; to spare one(self) (something); to pour from a vessel, to serve A1/ˈʃɛŋkən/
langes← lang
long here: ein langes Leben long; lengthy (in space or time); tall; many (indicating the length of the time in total) A1/laŋ(k)/
glückliches← glücklich
happy here: ein glückliches Leben happy; both momentarily and generally in life; lucky; fortunate A1/ˈɡlʏklɪç/

Grammar in this text

Conditional meaning with 'wenn' + present tense

Wenn er leiden muss, muss das bedeuten, dass er selbst etwas Schlechtes getan hat.

The conjunction 'wenn' introduces a conditional clause. The verb in the subordinate clause goes to the end. Here it expresses a general truth or logical consequence.

Subordinate clause with 'dass' + verb at the end

dass er selbst etwas Schlechtes getan hat

The conjunction 'dass' introduces a subordinate clause. The finite verb (here 'hat') is placed at the very end of the clause. This is a fundamental word order rule in German.

Modal verb + infinitive at the end

will Gott trotzdem weiter dienen

The modal verb 'will' is conjugated in second position, and the main verb 'dienen' appears in its infinitive form at the end of the sentence. This is typical for modal verb constructions.

Reflexive verb with 'sich'

Er bedankt sich

The verb 'sich bedanken' is reflexive, meaning the action refers back to the subject. The reflexive pronoun 'sich' is used in the third person singular.

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Same text, graded forC1 versionC2 version

Text from Hiob — Klexikon, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. See sources.

Translation, glossary and grammar notes are machine-generated and inherit the same licence.