114.2 Unforeseen events
To indicate that something was not foreseeable, one of the following expressions is
used. These expressions are usually linked to the conditional.See 39.7 (p. 100) for würde construction.
nicht ahnen ‘to have no inkling’
nicht vorher*sehen ‘to not foresee’
nicht vorhersehbar ‘not foreseeable’
nicht rechnen mit ‘to not reckon with’
unerwartet ‘unexpected(ly)’
erstaunlicherweise ‘surprisingly’(a) When there was no idea/inkling of what was going to happenWir konnten nicht ahnen, dass er sich das so zu Herzen nehmen
würde.
We had no idea that he would take it to heart so much.(b) If something was not foreseeableEs war nicht vorherzusehen, wie schnell sich das Feuer ausbreiten
würde.
One could not have foreseen how quickly the fire would spread.For something that was not reckoned with:Wir hatten zwar mit dem Abriss der Häuser an der Autobahn
gerechnet, aber dann geschah es doch plötzlich und unerwartet.
We had indeed reckoned with/expected the demolition of the houses
next to the motorway, but then it happened so suddenly and
unexpectedly.(c) Unexpected eventsDem Patienten geht es unerwartet gut.
The patient is surprisingly (lit. unexpectedly) well.Die Aktien waren überraschend gestiegen.
The shares had risen unexpectedly.Die Nachricht von seiner Beförderung kam überraschend.
The news of his promotion came as a surprise.114.3 Hardly believing the news
Expressing pleasant or unpleasant surprise:Er konnte kaum glauben, dass er das große Los gewonnen hatte.
He could hardly believe that he had won the jackpot.Der Krankenwagen kam unglaublich schnell zum Unfallort.
The ambulance got to the scene of the accident incredibly quickly.114
CONVEYING ATTITUDES/MENTAL STATES