Breakdown of Was ist die Quelle für diese Statistik?
sein
to be
was
what
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
für
for
Questions & Answers about Was ist die Quelle für diese Statistik?
Since this lesson is about the preposition laut (according to), how would I use it to answer this question?
If the source is a recent report (der Bericht), you could answer: Laut dem Bericht ist die Arbeitslosigkeit gesunken (According to the report, unemployment has fallen). Remember that laut usually takes the dative case, which is why der Bericht becomes dem Bericht. You might also see it with the genitive case (laut des Berichtes), though dative is more common in everyday German.
Why is it diese Statistik? Doesn't the preposition für change the case?
The preposition für always forces the following noun into the accusative case. Because Statistik is a feminine noun, its accusative form is exactly the same as its nominative form: diese Statistik. If you were asking about a masculine noun like der Artikel (the article), you would see the case change: für diesen Artikel.
Does the word Quelle only mean a source of information?
Its original, literal meaning is a water spring or river source. However, just like in English, it is very commonly used in a figurative sense to mean a source of information, a source of income (Einnahmequelle), or a source of errors (Fehlerquelle).
If I want to ask about multiple statistics, does the word diese change?