Breakdown of Auf dieser Strecke ist die Straßenbahn schneller.
sein
to be
schnell
fast, quickly
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
die Straßenbahn
the tram
die Strecke
the route / the distance
Questions & Answers about Auf dieser Strecke ist die Straßenbahn schneller.
How do we form the word schneller here?
It is the comparative form of the adjective schnell (fast). Just like in English, you add -er to the end to make it schneller (faster). Because it comes directly after the verb ist rather than right in front of a noun, it does not take any extra adjective endings.
Why does the verb ist come before the subject die Straßenbahn?
German sentences follow a strict verb-second rule. Because the sentence starts with the location phrase Auf dieser Strecke (On this route) in position one, the verb ist must take position two. The subject die Straßenbahn is then pushed to the third position.
Why is it dieser Strecke? Isn't Strecke a feminine noun?
Yes, Strecke is feminine! However, the preposition auf is a two-way preposition. Because we are talking about a fixed location answering the question 'where?', it triggers the dative case. In the dative case, the feminine ending is -er, turning diese into dieser.
What exactly does Strecke mean in this context?
Strecke is a common word for a route, distance, or stretch of road or track. It is especially useful when talking about public transit, driving, or racing a certain distance.
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