Word
Die Mitgliedschaft ist sehr exklusiv.
Meaning
The membership is very exclusive.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Die Mitgliedschaft ist sehr exklusiv.
sein
to be
sehr
very
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Mitgliedschaft
the membership
Questions & Answers about Die Mitgliedschaft ist sehr exklusiv.
How do I know that Mitgliedschaft is a feminine noun?
Nouns ending in the suffix -schaft are always feminine and use the article die. This suffix is the German equivalent of the English '-ship', as seen in die Freundschaft (friendship) or die Partnerschaft (partnership).
Does the gender of das Mitglied affect the gender of die Mitgliedschaft?
No, it does not! In German compound words or words with suffixes, the last part of the word always determines the gender. Even though das Mitglied (the member) is neuter, the suffix -schaft makes the combined word feminine (die).
This lesson is about the preposition außer (except). Why isn't it in this sentence?
This sentence sets up the theme of exclusion rather than using the grammar point directly. Because the membership is exklusiv, it excludes people. To express this concept with außer, you could say something like: Niemand außer den Mitgliedern darf hinein (Nobody except the members is allowed in).
Why is exklusiv spelled with an 'iv' at the end instead of 'ive'?
Many adjectives that come from Latin and end in '-ive' in English end in -iv in German. You will see this pattern often in words like kreativ (creative), aktiv (active), and aggressiv (aggressive).