Breakdown of Es können bunte Federn auf dem Flügel sein.
sein
to be
es
it
können
can / to be able to
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
bunt
colorful
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Feder
the feather
der Flügel
the wing
Questions & Answers about Es können bunte Federn auf dem Flügel sein.
How do we know können means "could" or "might" here, rather than "are able to"?
This is the subjective use of a modal verb, which expresses a guess or possibility. Since feathers do not have the physical ability to do things, context tells us können means "it is possible that" or "there might be".
Why is the verb plural (können) when the sentence starts with the singular word es?
When es is used to mean "there" (as in "there are"), the verb agrees with the actual subject that comes later in the sentence. Here, that real subject is the plural bunte Federn (colorful feathers), so the verb must be the plural können.
Why is the ending on the adjective bunte just an -e?
This is a strong adjective ending. Because there is no article (like die or keine) in front of the plural noun Federn, the adjective itself has to show the grammatical case. For the nominative plural, that ending is -e.
Why do we use the dative case for auf dem Flügel?
The word auf is a two-way preposition. We use the dative case here because the sentence describes a fixed location (where the feathers already are) rather than a movement toward a new destination.
Learn Es können bunte Federn auf dem Flügel sein 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