Breakdown of Sie schreibt eine fantasievolle und hoffnungsvolle Geschichte.
ein
a, an (eine)
sie
she
und
and
schreiben
to write
die Geschichte
the story
fantasievoll
imaginative
hoffnungsvoll
hopeful
Questions & Answers about Sie schreibt eine fantasievolle und hoffnungsvolle Geschichte.
How does the suffix -voll change the nouns in this sentence?
The suffix -voll means 'full of', working exactly like the English suffix '-ful'. When attached to a noun like Fantasie (imagination) or Hoffnung (hope), it turns the noun into an adjective describing an abundance of that trait. Thus, fantasievoll means 'imaginative' and hoffnungsvoll means 'hopeful'.
Why is there an 's' in the middle of hoffnungsvolle, but not in fantasievolle?
That extra 's' is a linking letter. In German, when a noun ending in -ung (like Hoffnung) is glued to another word or a suffix like -voll, it almost always requires a linking 's' to make pronunciation smoother. Because Fantasie does not end in -ung, it attaches to the suffix directly.
Why do both adjectives end with an extra -e in this sentence?
This is due to adjective declension. The adjectives describe a feminine noun, Geschichte (story), which is the direct object (accusative case) being written. After the feminine indefinite article eine, adjectives in the accusative case always take the ending -e.
Why is fantasievoll translated as 'imaginative' rather than 'fantasy-full' or 'fanciful'?
While the German word Fantasie can mean 'fantasy' (like the book genre), it very commonly translates as 'imagination' in everyday contexts. Therefore, a story that is fantasievoll is literally 'full of imagination', which translates to natural English as 'imaginative'.
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