Breakdown of Es passieren viele Sachen in diesem Zirkus.
es
it
in
in
viel
much / a lot
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
passieren
to happen
die Sache
the thing, the matter
der Zirkus
the circus
Questions & Answers about Es passieren viele Sachen in diesem Zirkus.
Why is the verb passieren plural when the sentence starts with Es?
Even though Es is in position 1, it is just a dummy placeholder. The real (logical) subject of the sentence is viele Sachen (many things). Because viele Sachen is plural, the verb must also be plural (passieren) to match it.
Can I just say Viele Sachen passieren in diesem Zirkus? What is the difference?
Yes, you absolutely can! Using a dummy es to start the sentence is a stylistic choice. It pushes the real subject (viele Sachen) further back in the sentence, which can build a little suspense or place more emphasis on the 'many things' happening.
What happens to es if I want to start the sentence with In diesem Zirkus instead?
The es completely disappears! This type of placeholder es only exists to fill position 1 so the verb can stay in position 2. If you put the location first, the sentence becomes: In diesem Zirkus passieren viele Sachen.
Why is it in diesem Zirkus and not in diesen Zirkus?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the sentence describes a fixed location (where the things are happening) rather than a movement toward a new destination, it triggers the dative case. Zirkus is a masculine noun (der Zirkus), so the dative ending for 'this' gives us diesem.
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