Breakdown of Exakt dasselbe Ereignis geschah.
geschehen
to happen (formal)
exakt
exactly
dasselbe
the same (n)
das Ereignis
the event
Questions & Answers about Exakt dasselbe Ereignis geschah.
Why do we use dasselbe here instead of derselbe or dieselbe?
Dasselbe means "the same" and has to agree with the noun it describes. Because Ereignis (event) is a neuter noun (das Ereignis) and is the subject of the sentence (nominative case), we use the neuter nominative form: dasselbe.
What is the difference between dasselbe and das gleiche? Could I say "das gleiche Ereignis"?
You could, but there is a subtle difference! Dasselbe refers to the exact same identical thing, while das gleiche refers to two different things of the exact same type. In casual speech, Germans often mix these up, but grammatically, dasselbe Ereignis means the literal, single event somehow occurred again, whereas das gleiche Ereignis means a second, separate event happened that was exactly like the first.
What verb does geschah come from, and what tense is it?
Geschah is the simple past (Präteritum) form of the irregular verb geschehen, which means "to happen" or "to occur". You will often see this tense used in written stories, news, or formal reports instead of the spoken perfect tense (ist geschehen).
Are all nouns ending in -nis neuter like das Ereignis?