Breakdown of Die Unterschrift des Opfers war nicht echt.
sein
to be
nicht
not
echt
really (intensifier); genuine
das Opfer
the victim
Questions & Answers about Die Unterschrift des Opfers war nicht echt.
Why is it des Opfers instead of von dem Opfer?
Des Opfers uses the genitive case to show possession ("the victim's"). While spoken German often replaces the genitive with von + dative (von dem Opfer), written German and more formal contexts strongly prefer the genitive. Since this sentence sounds like a legal or police statement, the genitive fits perfectly.
Why is there an -s at the end of Opfers?
In the genitive case, masculine and neuter nouns take an extra -s or -es at the end. Because Opfer is a neuter noun (das Opfer), it changes to des Opfers.
Could I use wahr instead of echt to mean "real" here?
No, wahr means "true" (as in a fact or a true story). Echt means "genuine" or "authentic". Since we are talking about a physical signature that might be a forgery, echt is the correct word to express that it wasn't the genuine article.
How does the noun Unterschrift break down?
It is a compound noun made from unter (under) and die Schrift (writing or script). It literally translates to "under-writing", which makes perfect sense for a signature that is usually placed at the bottom of a document!