Breakdown of Weder hat er die Bildung, noch zeigt er die Höflichkeit.
er
he
haben
to have
zeigen
to show
weder ... noch
nor
die Bildung
the education
die Höflichkeit
the politeness
Questions & Answers about Weder hat er die Bildung, noch zeigt er die Höflichkeit.
Why are Bildung and Höflichkeit both feminine?
In German, you can often predict a noun's gender by its ending. Nouns ending in -ung (like die Bildung) and -keit (like die Höflichkeit) are always feminine. Other common endings that guarantee a feminine noun include -heit and -schaft.
What do the suffixes -ung and -keit actually do to the words here?
They are used to build nouns out of other types of words. The suffix -ung typically turns a verb into a noun (from bilden, meaning to form or educate, comes die Bildung, education). The suffix -keit turns an adjective into a noun (from höflich, meaning polite, comes die Höflichkeit, politeness).
Why does the verb come before the subject in both halves of the sentence (hat er and zeigt er)?
The conjunction weder ... noch (neither ... nor) takes up the first position in both clauses. Because German strongly enforces the 'verb second' rule, the verbs (hat and zeigt) must come immediately next in the second position. That forces the subject (er) to move to the third position.
Do I need to add nicht or keine to make this sentence negative?
No, you do not need any extra negative words. The combination weder ... noch already makes both parts of the sentence negative on its own, just like 'neither ... nor' does in English.
Learn Weder hat er die Bildung, noch zeigt er die Höflichkeit and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free