Breakdown of Diese Spende ist leider nicht mehr brauchbar.
sein
to be
leider
unfortunately
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
nicht mehr
no longer, not any more
die Spende
the donation
brauchbar
usable
Questions & Answers about Diese Spende ist leider nicht mehr brauchbar.
How does the suffix -bar work in the word brauchbar?
The suffix -bar is added to the stem of a verb to show that something can be done to it, much like '-able' in English. Here, it attaches to the stem of brauchen to create an adjective describing a donation that is capable of being used.
Doesn't brauchen mean 'to need'? Why does brauchbar translate to 'usable'?
You are right that brauchen is most commonly used today to mean 'to need'. However, its original meaning was 'to use' (which is why the related verb gebrauchen means 'to use'). The adjective brauchbar preserves this older meaning, so it translates to 'usable' rather than 'needable'.
How does the phrase nicht mehr work here?
The combination nicht mehr translates to 'no longer' or 'not anymore'. In German, you place mehr (more) directly after nicht (not) to indicate that a state or action has stopped.
Could I change the word order and put nicht mehr before leider?
Generally no. Standard German word order places adverbs that express an opinion, feeling, or evaluation of the whole sentence—like leider (unfortunately)—before the negation nicht.
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