Breakdown of Der Arzt hat die Intoleranz nicht bemerkt.
haben
to have
nicht
not
der Arzt
the doctor
bemerken
to notice
die Intoleranz
the intolerance
Questions & Answers about Der Arzt hat die Intoleranz nicht bemerkt.
Why is nicht placed after die Intoleranz and before bemerkt?
When negating an entire sentence that has a two-part verb (like the present perfect hat ... bemerkt), nicht is placed as close to the end of the sentence as possible, landing right before the past participle at the very end. It also generally must come after a definite direct object like die Intoleranz.
What would it mean if I moved the negation and wrote 'Der Arzt hat nicht die Intoleranz bemerkt'?
That changes the focus of the negation. Putting nicht directly in front of a noun phrase negates just that specific thing rather than the whole action. It would mean the doctor didn't notice the intolerance (but strongly implies he noticed something else instead, like an allergy or a rash).
Why doesn't the past participle bemerkt start with ge-?
Verbs starting with an inseparable prefix—such as be-, ent-, er-, or ver-—never take a ge- in their past participle. Since the infinitive is bemerken, the past participle remains bemerkt.
What kind of intolerance does die Intoleranz refer to here?
Just like in English, die Intoleranz can mean both a medical condition and a social lack of tolerance. Because the sentence mentions der Arzt (the doctor), it is almost certainly a medical intolerance, such as Laktoseintoleranz (lactose intolerance).
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