Breakdown of Hier gibt es siebzehn Autos.
es
it
hier
here
das Auto
the car
geben
to give
siebzehn
seventeen
es gibt
there is / there are
Questions & Answers about Hier gibt es siebzehn Autos.
Why is 17 siebzehn and not siebenzehn?
To make the numbers 13 to 19, German usually just adds zehn (ten) to the base number. But 17 is a slight exception: the -en at the end of sieben is dropped, leaving us with siebzehn.
Why does it say gibt es instead of es gibt?
The standard phrase for "there is" or "there are" is es gibt. However, German has a strict rule that the main verb (here, gibt) must be the second idea in the sentence. Because we started the sentence with Hier (Here), the subject es has to slide to the other side of the verb to keep the verb in position two.
Does gibt es mean "there is" or "there are"?
It means both! In English, we switch between "there is" for one thing and "there are" for multiple things. German keeps it simple: you use es gibt (or in this sentence order, gibt es) whether you are talking about one car or siebzehn Autos.
Why does the plural of Auto end in an -s? I thought German plurals were different.
You are right that German plurals often end in -e, -er, or -en. But for words borrowed from other languages, like das Auto, German usually just tacks on an -s, making it exactly like the English plural!
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