I came across this sentence: "Zum Glück bin ich dem Rat von meinem Opi gefolgt"
Why does it say "bin ich" instead of "ich hatte" or "ich habe"?
Responses (1)
It is because in the German language you say: 'Ich folge deinem Rat' (I am following your advice- so the 'am' would translate to 'bin' in German). If the event is in the past then it turns into: 'Ich bin deinem Rat gefolgt'. If you used the word 'habe' or 'hatte' it would just be wrong German and it would sound weird. I hope that makes sense. I am a native German speaker.
But in the sentence why is it "bin ich" instead of "ich bin"?
That is because the 'bin' belongs to the word 'gefolgt'. They belong together. Ich bin gefolgt. Have a look at German conjugation: This particular form is called Perfekt.
Perfekt
ich bin gefolgt
du bist gefolgt
er/sie/es ist gefolgt
wir sind gefolgt
ihr seid gefolgt
sie/Sie sind gefolgt
You can say: Ich bin deinem Rat gefolgt. However, because you added the "Zum Glück", then they turn around and become: Zum Glück bin ich deinem Rat gefolgt. There must be a rule, just like in the English language, when you use certain words in a sentence then your verb changes accordingly. Similar to: I didn't do that yesterday. But: I haven't done that before. You see the difference? There are also rules in German that you just have to learn and remember. :-)
I'm so sorry I can't explain it any other way. I'm a native speaker, so to me it just sounds right or wrong. You might just have to get a feel for the language. It comes with time. Good luck.
That helps alot thanks!
It makes a little more sense now that you explained it. Thank you.