Questions & Answers about Toms Überraschung ist toll.
Why is it Toms instead of Tom's with an apostrophe?
In German, when you add an "s" to a proper name to show possession, you do not use an apostrophe. The "s" attaches directly to the name, so "Tom's" simply becomes Toms.
Is there a die missing before Überraschung?
No. Just like in English, when you use a possessive name like Toms, it replaces the article (die). You just say Toms Überraschung (Tom's surprise), never Toms die Überraschung.
Is there an easy way to remember the gender for words like Überraschung?
Yes! Any German noun that ends in -ung is always feminine. If you needed to use an article for it, it would be die.
Why is it just toll and not tolle to match the feminine noun?
Adjectives only get special endings (like an extra "-e") when they come right before the noun, like in eine tolle Überraschung. Because toll comes after the verb ist, it stays in its basic, unchanged dictionary form.