Breakdown of Das Urteil fiel zugunsten unserer Mannschaft.
unser
our
die Mannschaft
the team
das Urteil
the verdict
fallen
to fall
Questions & Answers about Das Urteil fiel zugunsten unserer Mannschaft.
Why is unserer Mannschaft in the Genitive case?
Because of the preposition zugunsten (in favor of), which requires the Genitive case. Since Mannschaft is a feminine noun (die Mannschaft), the possessive adjective unser takes the feminine Genitive ending -er, becoming unserer.
Could I place zugunsten after the noun instead of before it?
Yes! zugunsten is one of the few German prepositions that can also be used as a postposition (placed after the noun). You could say Das Urteil fiel unserer Mannschaft zugunsten, though keeping it before the noun is generally more common.
Why does the sentence use the verb fiel (fell) for a verdict?
In German, verdicts don't "go" or "come"-they "fall." The common collocation is ein Urteil fällen (to pass a verdict) when a judge makes the decision, and das Urteil fällt (the verdict falls) to describe the outcome. Here, fiel is the simple past (Präteritum) of fallen.
How would I say the verdict went against our team?
You would use the exact opposite preposition taught in this lesson: zuungunsten (to the disadvantage of / against). The sentence would simply be: Das Urteil fiel zuungunsten unserer Mannschaft.