Breakdown of Das moderne Gebäude war früher ein Krankenhaus.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
früher
in the past
das Krankenhaus
the hospital
modern
modern
das Gebäude
the building
Questions & Answers about Das moderne Gebäude war früher ein Krankenhaus.
Why does the adjective moderne end with an -e here?
Because it comes right after the definite article das. In the nominative case (when a noun is the subject of the sentence), adjectives following der, die, or das get the ending -e. Since Gebäude is a neuter subject, it becomes das moderne Gebäude.
Doesn't früher mean 'earlier'? Why is it translated as 'previously'?
You are right that früher is the comparative form of früh (early). However, German uses früher very commonly as a general time adverb to mean 'in the past', 'formerly', or 'previously'.
Why is ein Krankenhaus in the nominative case instead of the accusative?
Because of the verb war (was). The verb sein (to be) acts like an equals sign linking two things. Both the subject (Das moderne Gebäude) and the thing it equals (ein Krankenhaus) must be in the nominative case.
Is there an easy way to remember the gender for Krankenhaus?
Yes! Krankenhaus is a compound word made of Kranken (the sick) and Haus (house). In German, the very last word in a compound noun always determines its gender. Since it is das Haus (neuter), it has to be das Krankenhaus.
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