Breakdown of Dieser Schmutz ist überhaupt nicht akzeptabel.
sein
to be
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
überhaupt nicht
not at all (emphatic)
akzeptabel
acceptable
der Schmutz
the dirt
Questions & Answers about Dieser Schmutz ist überhaupt nicht akzeptabel.
How does akzeptabel relate to our current lesson on passive alternatives?
Adjectives ending in -bel or -bar are another common way to express possibility, just like the sein + zu + infinitive structure you are learning. Saying ist nicht akzeptabel means the exact same thing as ist nicht zu akzeptieren (cannot be accepted / is not to be accepted).
What does überhaupt mean in this sentence?
On its own, überhaupt means "generally" or "at all". When paired with nicht, it forms the very common fixed phrase überhaupt nicht, which is the standard way to say "not at all" or "absolutely not" in German.
Are there other adjectives ending in -bel to express that something can be done?
Yes, but mostly with loanwords from Latin, French, or English, like flexibel or respektabel. For native German roots, you will much more often see the ending -bar used to mean "-able", such as machbar (doable), lesbar (readable), or trinkbar (drinkable).
Just as a refresher, why is it Dieser Schmutz with an -er at the end?
Schmutz (dirt) is a masculine noun (der Schmutz). In this sentence, "this dirt" is the subject, so it is in the nominative case. The demonstrative pronoun dies- (this) takes the masculine nominative ending -er, making it Dieser.
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