Breakdown of Niemand erinnert sich an das Geheimnis.
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
das Geheimnis
the secret
niemand
no one
sich erinnern
to remember
Questions & Answers about Niemand erinnert sich an das Geheimnis.
Why is there a sich in this sentence?
In German, the verb for 'to remember' is sich erinnern. It is a reflexive verb, meaning it needs a reflexive pronoun. Because Niemand (nobody) acts as a third-person singular subject (like he, she, or it), the correct reflexive pronoun in the accusative case is sich.
Why do we need the word an? Doesn't the verb already mean 'remember'?
In English, you remember something directly. In German, you 'remember at' something. The verb sich erinnern always pairs with the preposition an to show what is being remembered.
Is das Geheimnis in the accusative or dative case here?
It is in the accusative case. The preposition an is a two-way preposition, but when used in the fixed combination sich erinnern an, it always requires the accusative case. Because Geheimnis (secret) is a neuter noun, its accusative article is das.
Why does the verb erinnert have a singular ending if 'nobody' applies to zero people?
Just like in English ('nobody remembers'), the German pronoun niemand is grammatically singular. You treat it just like er (he) or sie (she), which is why the verb takes the third-person singular ending -t.