Breakdown of Das Parfüm wurde mit zwanzig Milliliter Rose gemischt.
mit
with
zwanzig
twenty
mischen
to shuffle / to mix
das Parfüm
the perfume
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
der Milliliter
the milliliter
die Rose
the rose
Questions & Answers about Das Parfüm wurde mit zwanzig Milliliter Rose gemischt.
Why is Milliliter used here without a plural ending?
Masculine and neuter units of measurement (like der Milliliter, das Gramm, or das Glas) use a zero-plural when they follow a number. So instead of adding an ending for twenty, the unit stays exactly the same: zwanzig Milliliter. Note that feminine units like die Tasse (the cup) do take standard plural endings, such as in zwei Tassen.
Since mit is a dative preposition, shouldn't plural dative nouns add an -n? Why isn't it Millilitern?
You are remembering the dative plural rule correctly! However, masculine and neuter units of measurement are exceptions. When they follow a number without any other adjectives, they usually drop the dative -n ending. Therefore, mit zwanzig Milliliter is the standard way to write it.
Where is the word for 'of' in 'milliliters of rose'?
In German, you don't use a preposition like 'of' or von when linking a quantity to the substance being measured. The substance just sits directly after the unit of measurement. So, 'a glass of water' is ein Glas Wasser, and 'twenty milliliters of rose' is zwanzig Milliliter Rose.
Why does the sentence use wurde instead of war for 'was mixed'?
wurde is the simple past (Präteritum) form of werden (to become). When talking about an action being done to a subject (the passive voice), German uses werden as the helping verb along with the past participle (gemischt). If you used war gemischt, it would describe the final static result ('it was in a mixed state') rather than the action of someone actually mixing it.
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