Frame description

There is a likelihood that some Danger will cause harm to an Asset.  Often, a person (the Protagonist) possesses the Asset and is thus vulnerable to the negative impact of the Danger. This frame covers situations that range from taking risks, to being in danger (or safe), to protecting or rescuing an Asset.

Examples:

1.  Drei Bomben  bedrohen Griechenlands  Stabilität.1. Three bombs  threaten Greece's stability.
2. Geht man  beim Skifahren zu große Risiken ein?2. Does one take, when skiing, too great risks?
3. Der Lebensraum der Nager ist geschützt.3. The habitat of the rodents is protected.
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There is a likelihood that some Danger will cause harm to an Asset.  Often, a person (the Protagonist) possesses the Asset and is thus vulnerable to the negative impact of the Danger. This frame covers situations that range from taking risks, to being in danger (or safe), to protecting or rescuing an Asset.

Examples:

1.  Drei Bomben  bedrohen Griechenlands  Stabilität.1. Three bombs  threaten Greece's stability.
2. Geht man  beim Skifahren zu große Risiken ein?2. Does one take, when skiing, too great risks?
3. Der Lebensraum der Nager ist geschützt.3. The habitat of the rodents is protected.

In situations covered by the Danger frame, there is always at least an Asset and a Danger (whether these are mentioned explicitly or not, they are still assumed to exist when any of the lexical units here are used). The other frame elements are not always relevant, and the Cause only appears with lexical units where a risky action can lead to the Danger. A life-saving surgical operation, for example, would be considered a Cause, because it is not a direct threat -- quite the opposite, in fact -- but it does increase the risk of infection (a potential Danger), which could harm the Protagonist's health.

In situations where all frame elements are present, here is how they would be related:
A Cause leads to Danger that potentially harms the Protagonist’s Asset, which may be shielded from harm by a Protector.

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Details
Examples
Grammar Notes
Sentence Templates
Alternate Forms

Frame Elements

Frame Element descriptions (on hover):

Asset

Something desirable or valuable which might be lost or damaged.

Protagonist

The person who is at risk of some bad outcome (and possesses the Asset).

Danger

The event or outcome that could cause harm to or loss of the Asset, and which the Protagonist would therefore like to avoid. Sometimes a person or entity who brings about the dangerous situation can fill this FE role (via metonymy).

Cause

The action that risks causing a Danger.

Protector

The person, entity or action that prevents harm to the Asset.

Details
Examples
Grammar Notes
Sentence Templates
Alternate Forms
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anfällig adjective susceptible

Details:

susceptible

The adjective "anfällig" means that a Protagonist or Asset is exhibiting the likelihood of being vulnerable to a particular entity or action. Used like its English counterpart, but watch out: German uses "für" ("for") to express what someone or something is susceptible to (the Danger).

Rosen sind anfällig für Blattläuse. / Roses are susceptible to aphids.

Pixabay license, via Pixabay.com

Further details:

Word formation:

"die Anfälligkeit" ("susceptibility")

Synonyms:

"empfänglich," "prädisponiert," "vulnerabel"

More information in DWDS, the digital dictionary of the German language:

„anfällig“, bereitgestellt durch das Digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, <https://www.dwds.de/wb/anf%C3%A4llig>, abgerufen am 13.01.2022.

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Example Sentences:

  1. Seit seiner Operation ist er sehr anfällig.
  2. Ostdeutschland ist anfälliger für Rechtsextremismus als Westdeutschland.
  3. 20 Prozent der Menschen sind besonders anfällig für Mückenstiche.
  4. Wie anfällig ist der Mittelstand?
  1. Since his surgeryhe is very susceptible.
  2. Eastern Germany is more susceptible to right-wing extremism than Western Germany.
  3. 20 percent of people are particularly susceptible to mosquito bites.
  4. How susceptible is the middle class?
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Grammar:

Adjectives in Action

There are two main ways to use adjectives in German that parallel the ways adjectives are used in English:

Firstly, you can use them after some form of "sein" ("to be"), as in "Adjektive sind faszinierend" ("adjectives are fascinating"). This one is easy. Other verbs like "werden" ("to become") may be used in this context also. We call these "predicate adjectives" because they appear after the verb to give information about the subject.

Secondly, you can use adjectives directly before a noun, as in "die eifersüchtige Frau" ("the jealous woman/wife"). In this context, we call it an "attributive adjective" because it directly attributes some quality to the noun. These can be a little tricky because they require an extra adjective ending, typically "-e" or "-en."

These usages are illustrated in the table below.

 Predicate AdjectivesAttributive Adjectives
1.

Sara ist arbeitslos.
Sara is unemployed.

Saras arbeitsloser Mann sucht einen Job.
Sara's unemployed husband is looking for a job.
2.

Der Kunde wurde wütend.
The customer became angry.

Der wütende Kunde verließ den Laden.
The angry customer left the store.
3.Viele deutsche Wähler sind gut informiert.
Many German voters are well informed.		Informierte Wähler sind wichtig für eine Demokratie.
Informed voters are important for a democracy.

Depending on how advanced you are in German, you may want to delve into the wonders of adjective endings (for highly motivated, grammar-oriented or advanced students), or you may want to simply note that they have an "e" (or more) at the end and move on with your life (recommended for those in the first or second year of study). If you so desire, you can learn more about using adjective endings in Grimm Grammar (after der-words, after ein-words, without articles).

Comparisons using Adjectives
In the Alternate Forms tab, you can see the comparative (e.g. "gut" - "besser," "good" - "better") and superlative (e.g. "gut" - "am besten," "good" - "the best") forms of an adjective. German and English are similar in their uses of comparative; both languages add an "-er" ending to make comparative forms, for example: "wütend, wütender" ("angry, angrier"), "informiert, informierter" ("informed, more informed"), etc. The main difference is that English sometimes does not allow such an ending (e.g. *"stupider," *"informeder," *"loster"), but in German, the "-er" ending is always possible, and "more" does NOT appear with an adjective to convey the comparative meaning. There are a few more rules for German comparatives and superlatives (including some irregular forms) that you can read about in Grimm Grammar.

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Templates with Frame Elements:

  1. PROTAGONIST ist anfällig.
  2. ASSET ist anfällig.
  3. PROTAGONIST ist anfällig für DANGER.
  4. ASSET ist anfällig für DANGER.
  5. [anfällig- PROTAGONIST]
  6. [anfällig- ASSET]
  1. PROTAGONIST is susceptible.
  2. ASSET is susceptible.
  3. PROTAGONIST is susceptible to DANGER.
  4. ASSET is susceptible to DANGER.
  5. [susceptible PROTAGONIST]
  6. [susceptible ASSET]
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Details:

susceptible

The adjective "anfällig" means that a Protagonist or Asset is exhibiting the likelihood of being vulnerable to a particular entity or action. Used like its English counterpart, but watch out: German uses "für" ("for") to express what someone or something is susceptible to (the Danger).

Rosen sind anfällig für Blattläuse. / Roses are susceptible to aphids.

Pixabay license, via Pixabay.com

Further details:

Word formation:

"die Anfälligkeit" ("susceptibility")

Synonyms:

"empfänglich," "prädisponiert," "vulnerabel"

More information in DWDS, the digital dictionary of the German language:

„anfällig“, bereitgestellt durch das Digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, <https://www.dwds.de/wb/anf%C3%A4llig>, abgerufen am 13.01.2022.

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Alternate Forms:

anfälliger, am anfälligsten
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bedrohen verb to threaten

Details:

to threaten

"Bedrohen" means "to threaten" someone to apply force or otherwise endagner them. "Bedrohen" is closely related to "drohen" (see entry in this frame); there are, however, differences in usage. "Bedrohen" typically suggests a more immediate threat, often with a weapon rather than a consequence, e.g. "er bedrohte sie" ("he threatened her"), or "er bedrohte sie mit einem Messer" ("he threatened her with a knife"). Unlike "drohen," "bedrohen" always requires a subject and an object e.g. "ein Krieg bedroht den Frieden" ("a war threatens the peace").

Hochwasser bedroht die Stadt. / Flooding threatens the city.

Pixabay license, via Pixabay.com

Further details:

Word formation:

"die Bedrohung" ("threat"), "bedrohlich" ("threatening"), "existenzbedrohend," "lebensbedrohend" (both: "life-threatening," "existence-threatening")

Synonyms:

"androhen," "drohen"

More information in DWDS, the digital dictionary of the German language:

„bedrohen“, bereitgestellt durch das Digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, <https://www.dwds.de/wb/bedrohen>, abgerufen am 13.01.2022.

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Example Sentences:

  1. Monsterkrabben bedrohen den Fischbestand in Niedersachsen.
  2. Die Männer haben sie mit einem Messer bedroht.
  3. Der Chef bedrohte einen Angestellten.
  4. Drei Bomben  bedrohen Griechenlands  Stabilität.
  5. Das steigende Wasser bedroht   das Land  mit Überschwemmung.
  1. Monster crabs threaten the fish stock in Lower Saxony.
  2. The men threatened her with a knife.
  3. The boss threatened an employee.
  4. Three bombs  threaten Greece's stability.
  5. The rising water  threatens the land with flooding.
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Templates with Frame Elements:

  1. DANGER bedroht ASSET.
  2. DANGER bedroht PROTAGONIST.
  3. DANGER bedroht PROTAGONISTs ASSET.
  4. DANGER bedroht PROTAGONIST mit DANGER.
  1. DANGER threatens ASSET.
  2. DANGER threatens PROTAGONIST.
  3. DANGER threatens PROTAGONIST's ASSET.
  4. DANGER threatens PROTAGONIST with DANGER.
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Details:

to threaten

"Bedrohen" means "to threaten" someone to apply force or otherwise endagner them. "Bedrohen" is closely related to "drohen" (see entry in this frame); there are, however, differences in usage. "Bedrohen" typically suggests a more immediate threat, often with a weapon rather than a consequence, e.g. "er bedrohte sie" ("he threatened her"), or "er bedrohte sie mit einem Messer" ("he threatened her with a knife"). Unlike "drohen," "bedrohen" always requires a subject and an object e.g. "ein Krieg bedroht den Frieden" ("a war threatens the peace").

Hochwasser bedroht die Stadt. / Flooding threatens the city.

Pixabay license, via Pixabay.com

Further details:

Word formation:

"die Bedrohung" ("threat"), "bedrohlich" ("threatening"), "existenzbedrohend," "lebensbedrohend" (both: "life-threatening," "existence-threatening")

Synonyms:

"androhen," "drohen"

More information in DWDS, the digital dictionary of the German language:

„bedrohen“, bereitgestellt durch das Digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, <https://www.dwds.de/wb/bedrohen>, abgerufen am 13.01.2022.

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Alternate Forms:

(er) bedroht, bedrohte, hat bedroht
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bedroht adjective threatened, at risk

Details:

threatened

Used mainly in the sense of "endangered" or "at risk;" some Asset or Protagonist faces a situation that potentially has dire consequences for them.

Der Feldhamster ist in Deutschland vom Aussterben bedroht. / The common hamster is in Germany threatened by extinction [is an endangerd species].