Breakdown of In der Verhandlung dachte er an den Wert des Friedens.
er
he
in
in
denken an
to think about
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Wert
the value
der Friede
the peace
die Verhandlung
the negotiation
Questions & Answers about In der Verhandlung dachte er an den Wert des Friedens.
Why does Friedens have an -ns ending here?
It is in the genitive case (meaning of the peace) showing possession. The word Frieden belongs to a special group called mixed n-declension nouns. These nouns (like Name or Gedanke) typically take an -n ending in most cases, but specifically add -ns in the genitive. You might sometimes see the base nominative word listed as der Friede, but der Frieden is more common today.
Why do we use an for thought of instead of von?
In German, the verb denken (to think) pairs specifically with the preposition an when you are directing your thoughts towards a specific topic, person, or thing. While English uses think of or think about, German strictly relies on the fixed combination denken an for this meaning.
Why is den Wert in the accusative case after an?
When a two-way preposition like an is part of a fixed verb-preposition combination (like denken an), it almost always forces the following noun into the accusative case. It points to the abstract target of his thoughts, rather than answering the question where a physical action takes place.
What tense is dachte?
It is the simple past (Präteritum) of denken. It is a mixed verb, meaning it changes its stem in the past tense (the vowel shifts to a and the nk turns into ch), but it still takes the standard past tense -te ending of a regular weak verb.
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