Breakdown of Das Abkommen wurde wegen des aufrichtigen Willens akzeptiert.
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
wegen
because of
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
akzeptieren
to accept
aufrichtig
sincere
das Abkommen
the agreement
der Wille
the will
Questions & Answers about Das Abkommen wurde wegen des aufrichtigen Willens akzeptiert.
Why does the word for "will" end in -ns here (Willens)?
Der Wille (the will) belongs to a special group of "mixed" n-declension nouns. Standard n-declension nouns add an -n or -en in all cases except the nominative singular. However, a small group of words like der Wille, der Name, and der Gedanke add an extra -s in the genitive case. Because this sentence uses the genitive case, der Wille becomes des Willens.
What triggers the genitive case in the phrase des aufrichtigen Willens?
The preposition wegen (because of) requires the genitive case in standard written German. This is why the masculine noun phrase changes to des aufrichtigen Willens. While you might hear wegen used with the dative case in casual spoken German (wegen dem aufrichtigen Willen), the genitive is the standard choice taught at this level.
Why does the adjective aufrichtigen have an -en ending?
Because it follows a definite article (des) in the genitive case. Whenever an adjective comes between a definite article and a masculine or neuter noun in the genitive case, it must take the "weak" ending -en. Therefore, aufrichtig (sincere) becomes aufrichtigen.
What grammar structure is used in wurde ... akzeptiert?
This is the passive voice in the simple past (Präteritum) tense. Wurde is the simple past form of werden. If the sentence used wird ... akzeptiert, it would mean "The agreement is accepted" in the present tense. Using wurde ... akzeptiert tells us the action was completed in the past.
Learn Das Abkommen wurde wegen des aufrichtigen Willens akzeptiert 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