Breakdown of Am einundzwanzigsten Mai endet der Krieg.
der Mai
May
am
on the / at the
einundzwanzigste
twenty-first
der Krieg
the war
enden
to end
Questions & Answers about Am einundzwanzigsten Mai endet der Krieg.
Why does the number end in -sten (einundzwanzigsten) instead of just -ste?
Ordinal numbers from 20 onwards normally end in -ste, but they also follow the exact same ending rules as adjectives. Because the date comes after am (which triggers the dative case), you have to add an extra -n to the ending, making it -sten.
Is einundzwanzigsten really written as one massive word?
Yes! In German, numbers are written as a single, continuous word all the way up to one million, and that rule applies to ordinal numbers too.
Why do we use am before the date here?
Am is a shortened combination of an plus dem. In German, you use an to say that something happens on a certain day or date. Since months are masculine and we need the dative case for a fixed point in time, an dem merges into am.
Why does the verb come before the subject (endet der Krieg instead of der Krieg endet)?
This is the German verb-second rule in action. Because the time phrase Am einundzwanzigsten Mai occupies the first position in the sentence, the verb endet must take the second position. This pushes the subject der Krieg to the other side of the verb.
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