Breakdown of Der Schredder hat das Auto gnadenlos zerquetscht.
haben
to have
das Auto
the car
der Schredder
the shredder
gnadenlos
merciless
zerquetschen
to squash
Questions & Answers about Der Schredder hat das Auto gnadenlos zerquetscht.
Why is the past participle zerquetscht and not gezerquetscht?
The verb zerquetschen (to crush) starts with the inseparable prefix zer-. Verbs with inseparable prefixes (like zer-, be-, ent-, ver-, or er-) do not add the ge- prefix when forming the past participle in the perfect tense. Since it is a regular verb, it just takes the standard -t at the end.
Does the prefix zer- in zerquetscht add a specific meaning?
Yes! The prefix zer- almost always implies destruction, breaking into pieces, or taking something apart. While the base verb quetschen means to squeeze or pinch, adding zer- makes it zerquetschen, meaning to completely crush or destroy by squeezing.
How is the word gnadenlos constructed?
It is built from the noun die Gnade (mercy or grace) plus the suffix -los. The German suffix -los works exactly like the English suffix "-less" to mean "without." Since it is used here as an adverb to describe how the shredder crushed the car, it doesn't take any adjective endings.
Schredder looks exactly like the English word. How do we know its gender?
While it is an English loanword, German applies its own rules to it. Nouns ending in -er that describe a machine, tool, or person performing an action are almost always masculine. That is why it takes the masculine article der.
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