Word
Die Behörde hat das Bergwerk aufgrund der Explosionen geschlossen.
Meaning
The authority has closed the mine due to the explosions.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Die Behörde hat das Bergwerk aufgrund der Explosionen geschlossen.
haben
to have
schließen
to close
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
aufgrund
due to
Questions & Answers about Die Behörde hat das Bergwerk aufgrund der Explosionen geschlossen.
Why is the article der used before the plural noun Explosionen?
The preposition aufgrund means "due to" and requires the genitive case. In the genitive case, the definite article for all plural nouns is der, which can sometimes look confusing because it is identical to the masculine nominative article.
Could I use wegen instead of aufgrund in this sentence?
Yes, you could say wegen der Explosionen. Both prepositions mean "because of" or "due to" and take the genitive case. However, aufgrund sounds slightly more official and formal, which fits perfectly here when talking about an authority (die Behörde).
How does das Bergwerk translate to "the mine"?
It is a compound noun made from der Berg (the mountain) and das Werk (the work, plant, or factory). Literally meaning "mountain plant", it is the standard German word for a mine. Like all German compound nouns, it takes its gender from the final word, which is why it is neuter (das).
Why is geschlossen at the very end of the sentence?
The sentence uses the present perfect tense (Perfekt). The helper verb hat takes the second position, which pushes the past participle geschlossen (closed) to the very end of the sentence, wrapping around the causal phrase aufgrund der Explosionen.