Breakdown of Wann wurde die Glühbirne erfunden?
wann
when
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
erfinden
to invent
die Glühbirne
the lightbulb
Questions & Answers about Wann wurde die Glühbirne erfunden?
Why do we use wurde here instead of war to mean 'was'?
In English, we form the passive voice with the verb 'to be' ('was invented'). But German uses the verb werden (to become) for an action that is happening to something, known as the Vorgangspassiv. wurde is the simple past tense of werden. If you used war, it would describe a finished state (Zustandspassiv), focusing on the result rather than the action of inventing itself.
Why is erfunden pushed all the way to the end of the sentence?
This is the standard German sentence bracket (Verbklammer). In a question with a question word like Wann, the conjugated helper verb (wurde) takes the second position. The other verb part, which is the past participle erfunden, gets kicked to the very end of the sentence.
Why doesn't the past participle erfunden have a ge- at the beginning?
The infinitive verb is erfinden (to invent). Because it starts with the inseparable prefix er-, it does not take the standard ge- prefix when forming the past participle. Since it is a strong verb, the root vowel also changes (from i to u) to make erfunden.
What is the literal translation of Glühbirne?
It literally translates to 'glow pear'! It is a compound noun made from glühen (to glow) and die Birne (the pear), perfectly describing the shape and function of a classic incandescent lightbulb.
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