Breakdown of Der Angestellte sagt, dass wir den Pass beantragen müssen.
wir
we
sagen
to say
der Pass
the passport
müssen
to have to, must
dass
that
beantragen
to apply for
der Angestellte
the employee
Questions & Answers about Der Angestellte sagt, dass wir den Pass beantragen müssen.
Why does the word for employee end in -e here (Der Angestellte) instead of -er?
Angestellte is a nominalized participle, meaning it is a verb form acting as a noun. These nouns decline exactly like adjectives! Because it follows the definite masculine article der in the nominative case (as the subject), it takes the weak adjective ending -e. If you used the indefinite article, it would take the strong ending: ein Angestellter.
Why are there two verbs at the end of the sentence, and why is müssen last?
The conjunction dass (that) always kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. Here, the conjugated verb is müssen (must). The infinitive verb beantragen (to apply for) goes right before it. This means the English order must apply turns into beantragen müssen at the end of the German clause.
Is beantragen a separable verb?
No, beantragen is inseparable. The prefix be- is a classic inseparable prefix and never detaches from the verb. If this were a main clause without a modal verb, it would simply be Wir beantragen den Pass, and never Wir tragen den Pass be.
Why is it den Pass instead of der Pass?
The noun Pass (passport) is masculine, so its basic form is der Pass. In this sentence, it is the direct object being applied for, which means it must be in the accusative case. Therefore, der changes to den.
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