Breakdown of Eine neue Waschmaschine ist ein sparsames Gerät.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
neu
new
das Gerät
the machine / the equipment
sparsam
economical
die Waschmaschine
the washing machine
Questions & Answers about Eine neue Waschmaschine ist ein sparsames Gerät.
Why is it neue instead of just neu?
In German, adjectives coming right before a noun have to change their endings to match the noun's gender and case. Here, Waschmaschine is a feminine noun in the nominative (subject) case. After the indefinite article eine, the adjective gets an -e ending, making it neue.
Why does sparsames end in -es?
Gerät (appliance) is a neuter noun in the nominative case. The article ein doesn't clearly show the neuter gender because ein is also used for masculine nouns. Since the article doesn't show the gender, the adjective has to do the heavy lifting! It takes the neuter ending -es, giving us ein sparsames Gerät.
Why are both eine neue Waschmaschine and ein sparsames Gerät in the nominative case? Doesn't a sentence usually have an object?
Normally, yes, an action verb takes an object in the accusative or dative case. But the verb sein (to be) is a special connecting verb. It acts like an equals sign rather than an action. Whatever is on the other side of ist is just renaming the subject, so it also stays in the nominative case.
Where does the word sparsam come from?
The base adjective sparsam comes from the verb sparen, which means to save money, energy, or resources. By adding the suffix -sam (similar to the English suffixes -ful or -ive), it becomes an adjective meaning thrifty, economical, or good at saving.
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