Breakdown of Ich wollte den gestohlenen Schlitten suchen.
ich
I
suchen
to look for
wollen
to want
stehlen
to steal
Questions & Answers about Ich wollte den gestohlenen Schlitten suchen.
How does the verb stehlen turn into the adjective gestohlenen here?
First, we take the past participle of stehlen (to steal), which is gestohlen (stolen). Just like in English, you can use a past participle as an adjective to describe a noun. Because it is placed right before the noun Schlitten, it needs an adjective ending. Since it follows the masculine accusative article den, we add the weak adjective ending -en, giving us gestohlenen.
Why is it den and not der Schlitten?
Schlitten (sled) is a masculine noun. In this sentence, it is the direct object of the verb suchen (to look for)—it is the thing being searched for. This puts the noun phrase in the accusative case, which changes the masculine definite article from der to den.
Why doesn't suchen need a word for "for" like in the English translation "look for"?
While English uses the phrasal verb "look for" with a preposition, the German verb suchen directly takes an accusative object. You don't need to add a word like für; grammatically, you simply "search the sled" (den Schlitten suchen).
Why is suchen placed at the very end of the sentence?