Breakdown of Humorvolle Figuren machen die Geschichte spannend.
machen
to make, to do
die Geschichte
the story
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
spannend
exciting, thrilling
humorvoll
humorous
die Figur
the character (in a story)
Questions & Answers about Humorvolle Figuren machen die Geschichte spannend.
How does the suffix -voll work in the word humorvolle?
The suffix -voll translates literally to "full of". When you add it to a noun like der Humor, it creates an adjective meaning "full of humor" or "humorous". It functions as the exact opposite of the suffix -los (meaning "without" or "-less").
Why is there an extra -e at the end of humorvolle?
Because it is an adjective placed directly in front of the noun it describes (Figuren), it needs a declension ending. Since Figuren is plural and there is no article before it, the adjective takes the strong ending -e to show it is in the nominative plural case.
Does Figuren mean "figures" like numbers or shapes?
It can, but in the context of a story (die Geschichte), die Figur (plural die Figuren) usually means a "character" in a book, play, or movie.
Both humorvolle and spannend act as adjectives here. Why does spannend not get a declined ending?
Adjectives only get declension endings when they come directly before the noun they describe, as seen with humorvolle Figuren. Because spannend is separated from the noun and describes the result of the action, it is a predicate adjective and stays in its base form.
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