English Translation
It is impossible to know what will happen in the future.
Bad translation, there is no mention of the word “impossible” here:
The German sentence “Man kann nicht wissen, was in Zukunft passiert.” translates to “One cannot know what will happen in the future” in English. Let’s break it down grammatically:
Man: This is an impersonal pronoun equivalent to “one” or “people” in English. It is used to make general statements without specifying who is performing the action.
kann: This is the third person singular form of the modal verb “können,” meaning “can” or “to be able to.” Modals alter the meaning of the main verb in a sentence, often expressing ability, possibility, permission, or necessity.
nicht: This is the German word for “not,” used to negate the verb or the entire sentence. In this case, it negates the ability to “know.”
wissen: This is a verb meaning “to know” and is in its base form (infinitive) because of the modal verb “kann.” In German, when a modal verb is used, the other verb typically goes to the end of the clause in its infinitive form.
was: This word means “what” and introduces a dependent clause. It is a relative pronoun and here initiates the indirect question within the sentence.
in Zukunft: This phrase means “in the future.” “In” is a preposition, and “Zukunft” is a noun meaning “future.” Together, they describe the time frame being referred to.
passiert: This is the third person singular form of the verb “passieren,” meaning “to happen.” In German, verbs in dependent clauses (like those starting with “was”) typically go to the end and adjust to the subject of the clause.
The sentence structure in German often places the verb second in the main clause and at the end of subordinate clauses, which may be different from English. Understanding these nuances is vital while learning German.