Breakdown of Die Unzufriedenheit war gestern groß.
sein
to be
groß
big / tall
gestern
yesterday
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Die Unzufriedenheit war gestern groß.
How is the word Unzufriedenheit built?
It starts with the adjective zufrieden (satisfied). Adding the suffix -heit turns it into the noun Zufriedenheit (satisfaction). Finally, adding the negative prefix un- flips the meaning, giving us Unzufriedenheit (dissatisfaction).
Why is the article die used here? Does the prefix un- affect the gender?
The prefix un- never changes a noun's gender. The gender is determined by the ending of the base noun. Because this word ends in the suffix -heit, it is automatically feminine and takes the article die.
Why use groß to mean huge? Wouldn't riesig make more sense?
While you can use riesig (giant or enormous) for extra drama, groß (literally big or large) is the standard German adjective to describe the intensity of abstract concepts. In German, feelings and conditions like fear, joy, and dissatisfaction are simply groß when they are strong.
Could I start this sentence with gestern instead?
Yes, you can say Gestern war die Unzufriedenheit groß. Starting with gestern emphasizes the time. Just remember the strict V2 rule: the conjugated verb war must stay in the second position, pushing the subject die Unzufriedenheit to the spot right after it.