Breakdown of Der Name des Richters ist wichtig für den Anwalt.
sein
to be
der Name
the name
wichtig
important
für
for
Questions & Answers about Der Name des Richters ist wichtig für den Anwalt.
Why is it des Richters instead of der Richter?
des Richters is in the genitive case, which shows possession or ownership. It literally translates to "of the judge". In the genitive case, the masculine definite article der changes to des.
Why is there an -s at the end of Richters?
In the genitive case, masculine and neuter nouns almost always add an -s or -es to the end of the word. Since Richter (judge) is a masculine noun, it takes an -s to become Richters. Feminine and plural nouns do not get this extra ending in the genitive.
Why does des Richters come after Der Name?
In German, possession with the genitive case is usually placed right after the noun it belongs to. So instead of saying "the judge's name" like we might in English, German phrases it as "the name of the judge" (Der Name des Richters).
Why do we use den Anwalt instead of der Anwalt at the end of the sentence?
The preposition für (for) always forces the noun that follows it into the accusative case. Since Anwalt (lawyer) is a masculine noun, its article must change from the nominative der to the accusative den.