Fokussieren mit „It“ (It-Cleft-Sätze)
It is/was... that/who) sind deine Geheimwaffe, um bestimmte Informationen zu betonen. Denk an sie als dein „Spotlight“ für wichtige Dinge!
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'It-Clefts' to shine a spotlight on one specific part of your sentence for maximum emphasis.
- Start with 'It' followed by the verb 'be' in the correct tense: 'It was...'
- Place the information you want to emphasize immediately after 'be': 'It was the manager...'
- Connect the rest of the sentence using 'that' or 'who': '...who called me.'
Overview
Peter hat die Pizza gekauft. Aber du weißt, es war eigentlich Sarah! Du rufst: „Nein, es war Sarah, die die Pizza gekauft hat!“ Das ist ein it-cleft. Es ist wie ein Scheinwerfer auf einer Bühne.Ich liebe dieses Lied sagen, wenn du sagen kannst: Es ist dieses Lied, das ich liebe? Es fügt ein bisschen Drama hinzu.Word Order Rules
- Beginne mit dem Wort
It. - Füge das Verb
to behinzu (isoderwas). - Platziere als Nächstes das Fokus-Element.
- Füge das Wort
thatoderwhohinzu. - Beende den Satz mit dem Rest.
How This Grammar Works
Es war die Forschung, die die Theorie bewies. Es sagt dem Leser: „Schau dir die Forschung an!“
Formation Pattern
Pattern Variations
It is me. | Ich bin's.It was them. | Sie waren es.
Real Conversations
Sam
Kunde
Common Mistakes
This. Sag It is.... Vergiss is/was nicht. Nutze who nicht für Autos!Quick FAQ
F: Kann ich es für Zeit nutzen? A: Ja! Es war um 5 Uhr... F: Ist es formal? A: Nein, wir nutzen es auch in lockeren Chats.
Structure of an It-Cleft
| Dummy Subject | Verb 'Be' (Tense) | Focused Element | Relative Pronoun | Rest of Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
It
|
is
|
the price
|
that
|
matters.
|
|
It
|
was
|
my sister
|
who
|
won.
|
|
It
|
isn't
|
the money
|
that
|
I want.
|
|
It
|
wasn't
|
in May
|
that
|
we met.
|
|
It
|
will be
|
the voters
|
who
|
decide.
|
|
It
|
has been
|
his health
|
that
|
suffered.
|
Contractions in Clefts
| Full Form | Contracted Form | Usage |
|---|---|---|
|
It is...
|
It's...
|
Very common in speech
|
|
It was...
|
n/a
|
Rarely contracted
|
|
It is not...
|
It isn't... / It's not...
|
Common for denial
|
|
It was not...
|
It wasn't...
|
Common for denial
|
Meanings
A cleft sentence is a complex sentence in which a simple sentence is divided into two clauses to give focus to one part of the information.
Subject Focus
Emphasizing the person or thing performing the action.
“It was Sarah who won the race.”
“It is the sun that provides energy.”
Object Focus
Emphasizing the person or thing receiving the action.
“It was the blue car that he bought.”
“It is the truth that I am seeking.”
Adverbial Focus
Emphasizing when, where, or how something happened.
“It was in 1969 that man first walked on the moon.”
“It is only through hard work that we succeed.”
Reference Table
| Art der Betonung | Struktur | Beispiel | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Subject (Person)
|
It is/was + Noun/Pronoun + who/that + Verb Phrase
|
It was Sarah who aced the exam.
|
Hebt die Person hervor.
|
|
Subject (Thing)
|
It is/was + Noun + that/which + Verb Phrase
|
It was the strong wind that blew down the fence.
|
Hebt die Ursache/den Auslöser hervor.
|
|
Object
|
It is/was + Noun/Pronoun + that/which + Subject + Verb
|
It was the coffee that I spilled, not the tea.
|
Klärt, was betroffen war.
|
|
Time
|
It is/was + Adverb of Time + that/when + Clause
|
It was yesterday that I found my keys.
|
Benennt den genauen Zeitpunkt.
|
|
Place
|
It is/was + Adverb of Place + that/where + Clause
|
It was in the kitchen that we left the groceries.
|
Spezifiziert den Ort.
|
|
Correction
|
It is/was + Correct Info + that/who + Incorrectly Attributed Clause
|
It wasn't me who broke the vase; it was the cat.
|
Stellt die Dinge richtig.
|
|
Strong Feeling
|
It is/was + Noun + that + Clause
|
It's your positivity that brightens my day!
|
Vermittelt emotionale Wirkung.
|
Formalitätsspektrum
It was Mr. Smith who initiated the telephone correspondence. (reporting a call)
It was John who called. (reporting a call)
It was John who rang. (reporting a call)
It was John who hit me up. (reporting a call)
Beispiele nach Niveau
It is my mom who cooks dinner.
Es mi mamá quien cocina la cena.
It is the red pen that I want.
Es el bolígrafo rojo el que quiero.
It was a cat that I saw.
Fue un gato lo que vi.
It is London that is the capital.
Es Londres la que es la capital.
It was my brother who took the keys.
Fue mi hermano quien tomó las llaves.
It wasn't me who broke the vase.
No fui yo quien rompió el jarrón.
It is this book that I need for class.
Es este libro el que necesito para clase.
Was it you who called me?
¿Fuiste tú quien me llamó?
It was in 2010 that we moved to Spain.
Fue en 2010 cuando nos mudamos a España.
It is the lack of time that worries me.
Es la falta de tiempo lo que me preocupa.
It was because of the rain that we stayed home.
Fue por la lluvia que nos quedamos en casa.
It is her talent that makes her famous.
Es su talento lo que la hace famosa.
It was the CEO himself who addressed the staff.
Fue el propio CEO quien se dirigió al personal.
It is not what he said, but how he said it.
No es lo que dijo, sino cómo lo dijo.
It was only after the meeting that I realized the error.
Fue solo después de la reunión que me di cuenta del error.
It is the environment that we must protect for future generations.
Es el medio ambiente lo que debemos proteger para las generaciones futuras.
It is with great regret that we announce the closure.
Es con gran pesar que anunciamos el cierre.
It was through sheer persistence that she achieved her goals.
Fue a través de pura persistencia que logró sus metas.
It is the underlying assumptions that need to be challenged.
Son los supuestos subyacentes los que deben ser cuestionados.
It was not until much later that the truth emerged.
No fue hasta mucho más tarde que surgió la verdad.
It is the very fabric of our society that is at stake.
Es el tejido mismo de nuestra sociedad lo que está en juego.
It was by no means certain that the plan would succeed.
No era en absoluto seguro que el plan tuviera éxito.
It is her uncanny ability to predict trends that sets her apart.
Es su extraña habilidad para predecir tendencias lo que la distingue.
It was against this backdrop of economic instability that the revolution began.
Fue contra este telón de fondo de inestabilidad económica que comenzó la revolución.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners mix up 'It was...' and 'What I want is...'.
Learners think 'It is raining' is a cleft sentence.
Learners forget that clefts are just a special type of relative clause.
Häufige Fehler
Is my mom who cooks.
It is my mom who cooks.
It is my mom cooks.
It is my mom who cooks.
It my mom who cooks.
It is my mom who cooks.
It are my parents who cook.
It is my parents who cook.
It was the dog which barked.
It was the dog that barked.
It is yesterday that I saw him.
It was yesterday that I saw him.
It was me who did it.
It was I who did it. (Formal) / It was me who did it. (Informal)
It was in London where I met her.
It was in London that I met her.
It was because the rain we stayed.
It was because of the rain that we stayed.
It was my friends who they helped me.
It was my friends who helped me.
It is the results which are surprising.
It is the results that are surprising.
It was him that I gave the book.
It was him that I gave the book to.
It is only then when we understand.
It is only then that we understand.
Satzmuster
It was ___ who ___.
It is ___ that ___.
It was only when ___ that ___.
It is not ___ but ___ that ___.
Real World Usage
It was my previous role that prepared me for this challenge.
It's the traffic that's making me late!
It is this specific chemical reaction that causes the change.
It's the fans who make this all worth it.
It was the defendant who was seen at the scene.
It is our policy that prevents us from giving a refund.
Höre auf die Betonung
It was his tone that made me angry.
Nicht übertreiben mit 'It-Clefts'
Meistere 'That' für Flexibilität
Kontext ist entscheidend für die Formalität
It was me who chose the song,ist im lockeren Gespräch völlig normal und wird akzeptiert.
It was I who chose the song,klingt hingegen sehr formell, fast schon ein bisschen überheblich. Wähle immer passend zur Situation.
It was I who requested the song.
Nutze es für Korrekturen
Actually, it was Sarah who finished the report,klingt viel freundlicher und weniger konfrontativ als
Nein, du liegst falsch, Sarah hat es fertiggemacht.
It was the red car that caused the accident.
Smart Tips
Use a negative it-cleft followed by a positive one.
Use an it-cleft to define your main thesis or cause.
Try removing 'It is' and 'that' to find the simple core of the sentence.
Use 'who' to sound more natural and 'that' to sound slightly more formal.
Aussprache
Stress on the Focus
The word immediately following 'is' or 'was' receives the strongest stress in the sentence.
Reduction of 'that'
The word 'that' is usually reduced to a schwa sound /ðət/.
Rising-Falling on Focus
It was the ↗DOG↘ that barked.
Conveys certainty and emphasis on the subject.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember 'IT IS THE...' — It (Subject), Is (Verb), The (Focus).
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a theater stage. The whole stage is dark except for one bright spotlight hitting a single actor. That actor is the 'Focus' of your It-cleft.
Rhyme
If you want to make it clear, put 'It was' right in their ear!
Story
A detective is at a crime scene. Everyone is guessing who did it. He points his finger and says, 'It was the butler who stole the diamond!' The 'It-cleft' is his way of being 100% certain and dramatic.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Look around your room. Pick three objects and describe them using an It-cleft (e.g., 'It is my laptop that is on the desk').
Kulturelle Hinweise
It-clefts are very common in British political debates to precisely attribute policies or failures to specific parties.
In scientific writing, it-clefts are used to avoid 'I' while still emphasizing the cause of a result.
Hiberno-English often uses cleft-like structures more frequently than other dialects for added flavor.
Cleft sentences have existed in English since the Old English period, but became much more frequent in Middle English.
Gesprächseinstiege
Was it your parents who chose your name?
Is it the weather that affects your mood the most?
Was it a specific book that changed your life?
Is it the government or the individuals who should be responsible for the environment?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
It was my laptop ___ crashed during the presentation.
Find and fix the mistake:
It are the small details that make a big difference.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Score: /3
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesJohn broke the window.
It ___ in 1945 that the war ended.
It was the rain ___ caused the flood.
Find and fix the mistake:
It is my parents who they helped me.
1. I love you. 2. I met her in Paris. 3. He needs a rest.
was / it / that / her / me / kindness / touched
In an it-cleft, you can use 'It are' if the focus is plural (e.g., 'It are my friends').
A: Did Sarah win the prize? B: No, ___.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesIt ___ his dedication that led to his promotion.
It was the new manager who they hired her.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Foi o silêncio que me assustou.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the emphasized elements with the correct relative pronoun in an it-cleft.
It is the small gestures ___ truly matter in a relationship.
It was because of her talent that she got the scholarship.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'É a paciência que os caracteriza.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the original sentence with its correctly emphasized it-cleft version.
Score: /12
FAQ (8)
Technically yes, but it sounds very formal or slightly dated. In modern English, `that` or `who` is much more common in clefts.
In formal writing, `It is I` is grammatically 'correct', but in 99% of real-life situations, everyone says `It is me`.
In informal speech, yes: 'It was John called me.' But in writing, you should always include `that` or `who`.
Because the word 'cleft' means 'split'. You are splitting one simple sentence into two parts.
Yes! You can say, 'It will be the manager who makes the final decision.'
They are very similar. 'It-clefts' are slightly more emphatic and common in writing.
No, it-clefts usually focus on a noun or a prepositional phrase. For whole clauses, use a `Wh-cleft` (e.g., 'What happened was...').
Yes, it is equally common in all major dialects of English.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Es... que / Fue... quien
English requires the dummy subject 'It'.
C'est... qui/que
French uses 'qui' for subjects and 'que' for objects; English often uses 'that' for both.
Es ist... der/die/das
German relative pronouns change based on gender (der/die/das).
...no wa ...da
Japanese puts the focus at the end of the sentence.
Innama / Word order
Arabic doesn't use a dummy 'It' structure.
Shi... de (是...的)
The 'de' comes at the very end of the sentence in Chinese.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Learn These First
It-Clefts: Starker Nachdruck in Sätzen
### Overview Stell dir vor, du bist in einer wichtigen Teambesprechung im Büro. Jemand behauptet, dass das Projekt aufg...
Englische It-Clefts: Betonung des Objekts (It was the...)
### Overview Stell dir vor, du bist in einer wichtigen Vorstandssitzung oder schreibst eine akademische Abhandlung. Du...
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