Breakdown of Der Erfolg keines Modells ist sicher.
sein
to be
kein
no, not any
sicher
sure / certain
der Erfolg
the success
Questions & Answers about Der Erfolg keines Modells ist sicher.
Why is it keines instead of just kein?
Keines is in the genitive case, which shows possession or belonging. Because Modell is a neuter noun (das Modell), the negative article kein takes the ending -es in the genitive. This changes the meaning to "of no" or "no [noun]'s".
Why does Modell have an -s at the end here (Modells)?
In the genitive case, masculine and neuter nouns almost always add an -s or -es to the end of the word itself. Since das Modell is neuter, it becomes des Modells (of the model) or, as in this sentence, keines Modells (of no model).
Could I say Keines Modells Erfolg ist sicher, to match the English "No model's success..."?
You will sometimes see that in old poetry, but in modern German, the "owner" (the genitive part) almost always comes right after the thing being owned. It is much more natural to say Der Erfolg keines Modells (literally: "The success of no model").
I thought sicher meant "safe". Why does it translate to "certain" here?
Sicher is a very useful word with two main meanings! Depending on the context, it can mean "safe" (like a safe place) or "certain/sure" (like being sure about a fact). Here, a model's success isn't typically "safe," so "certain" is the natural translation.