Breakdown of Der geschmolzene Schnee ist schmutzig.
sein
to be
der Schnee
the snow
schmutzig
dirty
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
schmelzen
to melt
Questions & Answers about Der geschmolzene Schnee ist schmutzig.
Why is the word geschmolzene used here instead of just geschmolzen?
geschmolzene is the past participle of the verb schmelzen (to melt). In this sentence, it is being used directly in front of the noun Schnee to describe it. When you use a past participle as an adjective in front of a noun, it acts just like a normal adjective and must take an adjective ending.
Why does geschmolzene get exactly an -e at the end?
Schnee is a masculine noun in the nominative case (because it is the subject of the sentence). Since it follows the definite article der, the adjective takes the weak ending for masculine nominative, which is just -e.
How can we tell that schmelzen is an irregular verb from this sentence?
You can tell because its base past participle is geschmolzen. Irregular (strong) verbs have past participles that end in -en, whereas regular (weak) verbs end in -t. When used as an adjective, you just add the adjective endings directly to that -en form.
Why doesn't schmutzig have an adjective ending like geschmolzene does?
schmutzig (dirty) comes after the verb ist rather than directly in front of a noun. Adjectives in this position never take endings in German, no matter the gender or case of the noun they describe.
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