Breakdown of Der Erwachsene möchte ein Visum beantragen.
ein
a, an (eine)
möchten
would like
das Visum
the visa
der Erwachsene
the adult
Questions & Answers about Der Erwachsene möchte ein Visum beantragen.
Is Erwachsene an example of a nominalized participle?
Yes! It comes from the verb erwachsen (to grow up). Its past participle is also erwachsen (grown up). When you capitalize it to make it a noun for a person ("the grown-up"), it still behaves like an adjective. Since it is masculine nominative here after the definite article der, it takes the ending -e.
If it behaves like an adjective, how do I say "an adult" instead of "the adult"?
You would say ein Erwachsener. Because the indefinite article ein doesn't clearly show the masculine gender, the nominalized participle has to do the heavy lifting and take the strong -er ending. If it were a female adult, it would be eine Erwachsene.
Why doesn't beantragen need a preposition like für?
Unlike the English phrase "apply for", the German verb beantragen (to request / to apply for) takes a direct accusative object. The concept of "for" is already built into the verb's meaning, so you just place the thing you are applying for right in front of it: ein Visum beantragen.
What is the plural of das Visum?
Because it is a loanword from Latin, its plural is irregular in German. If a family needed to apply for multiple visas, they would apply for die Visa.