Question 1

How is fünfzig formed? Is it similar to English?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Just like English adds '-ty' to make fifty or sixty, German adds -zig to the base number. So fünf (five) becomes fünfzig (fifty). Note that the -ig at the end is usually pronounced like a soft 'ich' sound.

Question 2

Is hatte the past tense of haben?

Accepted Answer

Exactly. hatte means 'had'. At this level, you mostly use a two-part verb to talk about the past (like 'have played'), but haben is a common exception. Germans usually prefer its one-word past form hatte, just like we say 'had' in English!

Question 3

I learned that Platz means 'square' or 'place'. Why does it mean 'seats' here?

Accepted Answer

The word der Platz can mean a city square or a general place, but on a bus, train, or at an event, it means 'seat'. To make it plural (seats), German adds an -e at the end and puts an umlaut over the a, making it die Plätze.

Question 4

How do I pronounce the 'z' in fünfzig and Plätze?

Accepted Answer

In German, the letter 'z' is always pronounced like 'ts', similar to the end of the English word 'cats'. So Plätze starts with a 'plets' sound and fünfzig has a 'ts' sound right in the middle.

Der Bus hatte fünfzig Plätze.

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