Breakdown of Es gibt nichts, was in diesem Dschungel geheim bleibt.
in
in
was
what
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
bleiben
to stay
nichts
nothing
es gibt
there is / there are
der Dschungel
the jungle
geheim
secret (classified)
Questions & Answers about Es gibt nichts, was in diesem Dschungel geheim bleibt.
Why do we use was here instead of a normal relative pronoun like das?
In German, when a relative clause refers back to an indefinite pronoun like nichts (nothing), alles (everything), or etwas (something), we use was instead of a standard relative pronoun. In English, we usually say 'that' ('nothing that'), but German requires was.
Why is it in diesem Dschungel and not in diesen Dschungel?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Since the sentence describes staying inside a location (answering 'where?') rather than moving to a new destination (answering 'to where?'), it takes the dative case. Because Dschungel is a masculine noun (der Dschungel), the dative form becomes in diesem.
Why is the verb bleibt at the very end of the sentence?
The word was introduces a relative clause. In German, relative clauses are subordinate clauses, which means the conjugated verb (bleibt) must be pushed to the very end of that clause.
Is es gibt the only way to say 'there is' here?
Yes, es gibt is the standard phrase to express 'there is' or 'there are' when stating that something exists. It always requires the accusative case, though with the pronoun nichts, you don't see a visible case ending change.
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