Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide, Second Edition

(e) To explain a previous statement, use deshalb/daher/deswegen (or, more

informally, darum), all meaning ‘that’s why/for that reason’:

Er wollte seinen Bruder nicht belasten. Deshalb/Daher/Deswegen/

Darum verweigerte er die Aussage.

He didn’t want to incriminate his brother. That’s why he refused to give a

statement.

(f) To infer from a previous statement, also ‘so/therefore’ is inserted:

Sie haben also noch nie an einer Safari teilgenommen?

So you have never taken part in a safari?

Im Labor war er auch nicht zu finden, also suchten wir ihn in der

Kantine.

He wasn’t to be found in the lab either, so we looked for him in the

canteen.

84 Referring to sources of information

84.1 Written/literary sources of information

In academic research, sources of information are referred to as -e Quelle (-n).

-e Quellenangabe (-n) ‘reference’

-r Quellennachweis (-e) ‘reference in footnote’

-s Quellenverzeichnis (-se) ‘bibliography/list of works consulted/list of references/

acknowledgements’

(a) When citing a source, nach or laut (+ dat.) is used:

Nach Goethe irrt der Mensch, solang er strebt.

According to Goethe, man errs as long as he strives.

Laut Schiller kämpfen selbst die Götter vergebens mit der

Dummheit.

According to Schiller, the Gods themselves struggle in vain with

stupidity.

Laut dem Verkehrsministerium ist die Zahl der Unfälle leicht

gestiegen.

According to the Department of Transport, the number of accidents has

slightly increased.

For further expressions with nach and laut see below.

(b) Referring to written sources

To give reference to any written source, stehen is used:

Steht das im Text?

Is that (written) in the text?

Das steht bei Karl Marx.

That is from Karl Marx.

84

Referring to sources