Word
Der Protagonist ist ein humorvoller Mann.
Meaning
The protagonist is a humorous man.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Der Protagonist ist ein humorvoller Mann.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
der Mann
the man
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Der Protagonist ist ein humorvoller Mann.
How does the suffix -voll change the meaning of the word here?
The suffix -voll means "full of" (similar to the English "-ful"). When added to the noun der Humor, it creates the adjective humorvoll, meaning "full of humor" or "humorous".
Why is the ending -er added to make humorvoller?
Adjectives created with -voll still need regular adjective endings when they come directly before a noun. Here, the adjective describes ein Mann, which is a masculine noun in the nominative case (the subject of the sentence). After the indefinite article ein, we must use the ending -er to show the masculine gender.
What is the exact opposite of ein humorvoller Mann using the other suffix from this lesson?
The opposite is ein humorloser Mann (a humorless man). The suffix -los indicates the absence of something, working exactly like the English suffix "-less". Notice it also takes the exact same -er adjective ending.
Is there anything tricky about the noun der Protagonist?
Yes, it is an n-declension noun (also called a "weak noun"). In this sentence it is the subject, so it stays in the nominative case as der Protagonist. However, in any other case, it will take an -en ending, such as den Protagonisten in the accusative case.