Breakdown of Muss diese Tapete wirklich gekauft werden?
kaufen
to buy
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
müssen
to have to, must
wirklich
really
Questions & Answers about Muss diese Tapete wirklich gekauft werden?
Why are gekauft and werden pushed to the end of the sentence?
This is the standard word order for a modal verb with the passive voice. The conjugated modal verb (muss) takes the first position because it is a yes/no question. The passive infinitive—which consists of the past participle (gekauft) plus the infinitive werden—is always pushed to the very end of the clause.
Wait, isn't the thing being bought usually in the accusative case? Why is it diese Tapete (nominative) here?
In an active sentence, it would be the accusative direct object (for example: Wir müssen diese Tapete kaufen). But in a passive sentence, the thing receiving the action becomes the grammatical subject of the sentence. Since subjects are always in the nominative case, we use the feminine nominative diese Tapete.
Is Tapete a false friend? It looks like "tape" or "tapestry".
Yes, it is a classic false friend! Die Tapete specifically means "wallpaper". If you want to say "tape" (like adhesive tape), you would use das Klebeband. A "tapestry" is der Wandteppich.
English uses "to be bought". Why isn't it translated with the verb sein (to be)?