Breakdown of Wir suchen einen Parkplatz.
wir
we
suchen
to look for
der Parkplatz
the parking space, the car park
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Questions & Answers about Wir suchen einen Parkplatz.
Why is there no German translation for 'for' in this sentence, like Wir suchen für?
In German, the verb suchen means to seek or to look for, and it takes a direct object. You do not need a preposition like you do in English. You just directly attach what you are looking for: Wir suchen einen Parkplatz.
Why is the article einen instead of ein?
Parkplatz is the direct object of the sentence, which means it is in the accusative case. Because the word is masculine (der Parkplatz), the indefinite article ein changes to einen.
Does German have a specific verb form to say 'we are looking' instead of just 'we look'?
No, German does not have an equivalent to the English '-ing' verbs (the present continuous tense). The phrase Wir suchen can mean both 'we look' and 'we are looking' depending on the situation.
How can I easily remember the gender of Parkplatz?
Parkplatz is a compound noun made of Park and Platz. In German, compound nouns always take the gender of their final component. Since it is der Platz, the entire compound word is also masculine: der Parkplatz.