Breakdown of Verkaufen Sie eigentlich Antiquitäten?
Sie
you (formal)
verkaufen
to sell
eigentlich
actually, really
die Antiquität
the antique
Questions & Answers about Verkaufen Sie eigentlich Antiquitäten?
How does the word eigentlich change the tone of this question?
As a modal particle here, eigentlich makes the question sound more casual or like a sudden thought. Instead of a direct, blunt 'Do you sell antiques?', it gives the feeling of 'By the way, do you happen to sell antiques?' or 'I was just wondering, do you sell antiques?'
The translation uses 'actually', but doesn't that usually mean correcting someone?
In English, 'actually' often corrects a misconception. But the German modal particle eigentlich in a question rarely does that. Instead, it signals a shift in topic or general curiosity. If you wanted to state a factual reality or correct someone in German, you would usually use tatsächlich instead.
Could I put eigentlich at the very end of the sentence?
No, modal particles like eigentlich generally cannot go at the very end or the very beginning of a sentence. They usually sit in the middle of the sentence, safely tucked after the conjugated verb (Verkaufen) and pronouns like the subject (Sie).
Why does Antiquitäten end in -en?
Antiquitäten is the plural form of die Antiquität (the antique). German nouns ending in -tät almost always form their plural by adding -en. You have probably seen this pattern before with words like die Universität becoming die Universitäten.