Reading · C1 · Text 42
Junge
In einigen Ländern gibt es ein Fest oder Ritual, ab dem der Junge zu den Männern hält.
In some countries, there is a festival or ritual from which the boy is counted among the men.
Bei uns gibt es solche Feste heute kaum noch.
In our country, such festivals are hardly held today.
Grammar in this text
Prepositional phrase with 'ab' + dative
ab dem der Junge zu den Männern hält
'ab' is used here as a preposition meaning 'from' (temporal), and it takes the dative case ('dem' is dative masculine). The phrase indicates a starting point in time.
Relative clause with 'der' as a relative pronoun
ab dem der Junge zu den Männern hält
'dem' is a relative pronoun (dative masculine singular) referring back to 'Fest oder Ritual'. The relative clause provides additional information about the noun, and the verb 'hält' is placed at the end of the clause.
Use of 'kaum noch' to express 'hardly any longer'
gibt es solche Feste heute kaum noch
'kaum noch' is an adverbial phrase meaning 'hardly any longer' or 'scarcely anymore'. It modifies the verb 'gibt' and indicates a near absence or rarity in the present time.
Keep going
Text from Junge — Klexikon, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. See sources.
Translation, glossary and grammar notes are machine-generated and inherit the same licence.