Breakdown of Der Minister der alten Regierung wurde wütend.
alt
old
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
wütend
angry
die Regierung
the government
der Minister
the minister
Questions & Answers about Der Minister der alten Regierung wurde wütend.
Why is it der alten Regierung if Regierung is a feminine noun?
Here, der alten Regierung is in the genitive case, showing possession ("of the old government"). For feminine nouns in the genitive case, the definite article die changes to der. Because it follows a definite article, the adjective alt takes the weak ending -en, becoming alten.
Why doesn't the adjective wütend have an ending here?
In German, adjectives only take declension endings when they come directly before a noun (like alten before Regierung). Because wütend comes after the verb and describes the subject (called a predicative adjective), it stays in its uninflected base form.
Why use wurde instead of war in this sentence?
wurde is the simple past tense (Präteritum) of werden (to become). It shows a change in state: the minister got or became angry. If you used war (the past tense of sein, to be), it would mean he was already angry.
Is there a trick to remembering the gender of Regierung so I can decline it correctly?
Yes! Nouns that end in the suffix -ung are always feminine. Knowing its base article is die is the crucial first step to figuring out that it must change to der in the genitive case.
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