Breakdown of Die über den Markt bummelnden Reisenden bewundern die große Auswahl.
groß
big / tall
über
over, above
der Markt
the market
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
bewundern
to admire
der Reisende
the traveler
bummeln
to stroll
die Auswahl
the selection
Questions & Answers about Die über den Markt bummelnden Reisenden bewundern die große Auswahl.
How does the phrase über den Markt bummelnden work, and why is it sandwiched between Die and Reisenden?
This is an extended participle attribute. In German, when you use a participle like bummelnden (strolling) to describe a noun, any extra details attached to that action, like where they are strolling (über den Markt), must be tucked between the main article (Die) and the participle itself. It translates literally as 'The across the market strolling travelers.'
How exactly is the word bummelnden formed and why does it have an -en ending?
You start with the infinitive bummeln (to stroll) and add -d to make the basic present participle bummelnd (strolling). Because it is placed right before a noun to describe it, it acts like an adjective and needs an adjective ending. Following the plural definite article Die, it takes the weak adjective ending -en.
über is a two-way preposition. Why does it take the accusative (den Markt) here if the travelers aren't going to a new destination?
While two-way prepositions usually take the dative for a fixed location and the accusative for a destination, über behaves slightly differently with paths. When it means moving across or over an area, it takes the accusative case to map out the path of that movement. If you used the dative (über dem Markt), it would imply they are literally hovering in the sky directly above the market!
The basic word for traveler is der Reisende. Why does it end in -n here if it is the subject of the sentence?
The word Reisende is a nominalized adjective, meaning it is an adjective acting as a noun. Because of this, its ending changes based on standard adjective declension rules. Since it comes after a plural definite article (Die), it requires the weak plural ending -en, making it Reisenden even in the nominative case.
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