Breakdown of Das Ufo entführt angeblich Leute aus dem Dorf.
aus
from / out of (made of)
die Leute
the people
das Dorf
the village
das Ufo
the UFO
entführen
to abduct
angeblich
supposedly
Questions & Answers about Das Ufo entführt angeblich Leute aus dem Dorf.
I thought this lesson was about using sollen for rumors. Why isn't soll used in this sentence?
While the subjective use of sollen is great for rumors (e.g., Das Ufo soll Leute entführen), using the adverb angeblich (supposedly / allegedly) is another very common way to express hearsay. This sentence shows you an alternative that means practically the same thing!
Is entführt a separable verb? Should it be Das Ufo führt Leute ent?
No, verbs starting with the prefix ent- are always inseparable. The prefix stays permanently glued to the root verb, so it doesn't move to the end of the sentence. Other common inseparable prefixes to watch out for are be-, er-, ver-, and zer-.
Could I move angeblich to the beginning of the sentence to emphasize the rumor?
Yes, absolutely! Just remember that German statements need the verb in the second position. If you put angeblich in position one, the verb entführt must come right after it: Angeblich entführt das Ufo Leute aus dem Dorf.
Why is it aus dem Dorf instead of aus das Dorf?
The preposition aus (from / out of) always forces the following noun into the dative case. Because Dorf (village) is a neuter noun (das Dorf), its article changes to dem in the dative case.
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