Breakdown of Wie viel Geld möchtest du auf dem Flohmarkt ausgeben?
du
you (informal singular)
das Geld
the money
möchten
would like
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
wie viel
how much
der Flohmarkt
the flea market
ausgeben
to spend (money)
Questions & Answers about Wie viel Geld möchtest du auf dem Flohmarkt ausgeben?
Why doesn't viel get an adjective ending here?
When viel (much) and wenig (little) are used with uncountable nouns like Geld (money), they don't take any adjective endings. If you were asking about countable things, you would use an ending, such as Wie viele Bücher (How many books).
Why do we use the dative case in auf dem Flohmarkt?
The preposition auf is a two-way preposition. It takes the dative case when it describes a fixed location (where something happens) and the accusative case for movement toward a destination. Since you are spending money at the market, not traveling onto it, we use the dative dem Flohmarkt.
ausgeben is a separable verb. Why isn't the aus split off and put at the end?
It is because of the modal verb möchtest. Modal verbs push the main verb to the very end of the sentence in its infinitive (dictionary) form. When a separable verb is in its infinitive form at the end of a sentence, its prefix stays firmly attached.
Can I use ausgeben to say I'm spending time, too?
No, ausgeben is strictly used for spending money. If you want to talk about spending time, you must use a completely different verb: verbringen.
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