Breakdown of Das Hemd hat einen Fleck, aber es ist waschbar.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
es
it
haben
to have
aber
but
das Hemd
the shirt
der Fleck
the stain
waschbar
washable
Questions & Answers about Das Hemd hat einen Fleck, aber es ist waschbar.
How exactly is the word waschbar formed here?
It uses the suffix -bar, which is the focus of this lesson! You take the stem of the verb waschen (to wash) by dropping the -en, giving you wasch-. Adding -bar creates an adjective meaning "able to be washed". It is the exact German equivalent of the English suffix "-able".
Why does the sentence use einen Fleck instead of ein Fleck?
The word for stain or spot is masculine: der Fleck. In this sentence, it is the direct object of the verb hat (has), meaning it needs to be in the accusative case. For masculine nouns in the accusative, ein changes to einen.
Does es in the second clause translate exactly to "it" in English?
It translates to "it" here, but remember that German pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. Es is used because Hemd is a neuter noun (das Hemd). If the sentence were about a masculine noun like der Pullover (the sweater), you would have to say er ist waschbar, even though we still say "it" in English.
Can I use -bar with any verb?
You can use it with many transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object). Just like waschbar means a shirt can be washed, you will frequently see words like trinkbar (drinkable), essbar (edible), and machbar (doable). It always expresses a passive possibility, meaning something is able to have that action done to it.
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