Breakdown of Die Stadt hatte insgesamt hunderttausend Einwohner.
haben
to have
die Stadt
the city
hundert
a hundred
tausend
thousand
der Einwohner
the inhabitant
insgesamt
altogether, in total
Questions & Answers about Die Stadt hatte insgesamt hunderttausend Einwohner.
Why is hunderttausend written as one long word, and where is the word for 'one'?
In German, numbers below one million are written together as a single word. Also, you don't always need ein (one) before hundert or tausend. Saying hunderttausend is just like saying 'a hundred thousand' in English.
Why do we use hatte here instead of the regular spoken past tense?
hatte is the simple past tense (Präteritum) of haben (to have) for the er/sie/es form. While spoken German usually prefers the spoken past with a helper verb for most actions, haben and sein are big exceptions. They are almost always used in this simple past form, even in casual everyday speech.
Why does insgesamt come right after the verb?
Adverbs like insgesamt (in total or altogether) usually sit close to the verb they modify. You could also put it at the very beginning for emphasis: Insgesamt hatte die Stadt hunderttausend Einwohner. Notice how the verb hatte must stay in the strict second position if you do that!
Does Einwohner (inhabitants) change its spelling in the plural?
No, the spelling stays exactly the same! For most masculine and neuter nouns that end in -er, the plural form is identical to the singular form. You know it means plural 'inhabitants' here because of the number hunderttausend right in front of it.
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