Breakdown of Wir haben alle wichtigen Neuerscheinungen gekauft.
kaufen
to buy
haben
to have
wir
we
alle
all, everyone
wichtig
important
die Neuerscheinung
the new release
Questions & Answers about Wir haben alle wichtigen Neuerscheinungen gekauft.
Why does wichtigen end in -en after alle?
In the plural, the word alle acts like a definite article (like die). Because alle already shows the plural case clearly, the adjective that follows it gets the weak ending, which is always -en in the plural. So we write alle wichtigen instead of alle wichtige.
What if we used viele (many) instead of alle? Would it still be wichtigen?
No, it would be viele wichtige Neuerscheinungen. Unlike alle, the word viele (along with einige and mehrere) acts like a normal adjective. Because there is no definite article to show the case, the adjectives take the strong ending. In the plural accusative, that ending is -e.
How is the long word Neuerscheinungen built?
It is a compound noun made of the adjective neu (new) and the noun die Erscheinung (appearance or release). Like all German words ending in -ung, it is feminine and forms its plural simply by adding -en.
What case is alle wichtigen Neuerscheinungen in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb kaufen (the thing being bought). Fortunately, for plural adjectives after alle, the nominative and accusative endings are exactly the same, so it is always -en.
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