Questions & Answers about Sie ist plötzlich gestorben.
Why does this sentence use ist instead of hat for the past tense?
In German, the Perfekt tense usually uses haben (to have) as the helper verb. However, verbs that show a change of state or a change of location use sein (to be) instead. Dying is a change of state (from alive to dead), so sterben uses sein. This is why the sentence literally translates to "she is suddenly died."
How can we tell that Sie means "she" here, and not "they" or the formal "you"?
We can tell by looking at the helper verb that follows it. Sie means "she" when paired with the singular verb ist. If it meant "they" or the formal "you", the verb would be plural, making the sentence Sie sind plötzlich gestorben.
What is the dictionary form (infinitive) of gestorben?
The infinitive is sterben (to die). Like many German verbs in the Perfekt tense, it gets the prefix ge- to form the past participle. Since sterben is an irregular strong verb, its core vowel also changes from "e" to "o", resulting in gestorben.
Why is gestorben at the very end of the sentence?
In the German Perfekt tense, the conjugated helper verb (ist) takes the second position in the sentence, while the past participle (gestorben) is pushed all the way to the end. Any extra information, like the word plötzlich (suddenly), gets sandwiched in between them.
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