Word
Laut der Volkszählung nimmt die Bevölkerung zu.
Meaning
According to the census, the population is increasing.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Laut der Volkszählung nimmt die Bevölkerung zu.
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
laut
according to
die Bevölkerung
the population
die Volkszählung
the census
Questions & Answers about Laut der Volkszählung nimmt die Bevölkerung zu.
Why is it der Volkszählung? Is that in the Dative or Genitive case?
The preposition laut (according to) can take either the Dative or the Genitive case. Because Volkszählung (census) is a feminine noun, its article changes to der in both the Dative and Genitive cases, so it could technically be either one here! In everyday spoken German, the Dative is more common with laut, while the Genitive is often preferred in formal writing.
Why does the verb nimmt come before the subject die Bevölkerung?
In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always be in the second position. The entire phrase Laut der Volkszählung takes up the first position. To keep the verb in position two, the subject die Bevölkerung has to move to the other side of the verb, taking the third position.
Where does the word zu at the end of the sentence come from?
It belongs to the separable verb zunehmen, which means to increase or to gain. Because it is a separable verb in a standard main clause, the prefix zu gets pushed to the very end of the sentence, while the conjugated core nimmt stays in the second position.
How is the word Volkszählung formed?