Breakdown of Ein die Hypothese belegendes Ergebnis ist wichtig.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
wichtig
important
das Ergebnis
the result
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Hypothese
the hypothesis
belegen
to prove (with documents/evidence)
Questions & Answers about Ein die Hypothese belegendes Ergebnis ist wichtig.
How would I rewrite this sentence using a relative clause instead of the extended participle?
You would turn the participle phrase into a regular relative clause: Ein Ergebnis, das die Hypothese belegt, ist wichtig. The extended participle attribute (die Hypothese belegendes) is a more formal, academic way of expressing the exact same idea.
Why does the word belegendes end in -es here?
Here, the present participle belegend (proving) acts as an adjective describing the neuter noun Ergebnis. Because it follows the indefinite article ein in the nominative case, it takes the mixed declension ending -es.
Why is the object die Hypothese wedged between ein and belegendes?
This is a classic feature of extended participle attributes in German. The entire descriptive phrase is bracketed between the article (Ein) and the noun it modifies (Ergebnis). Any objects or adverbs that belong to the participle (like die Hypothese) must go inside this bracket, directly before the participle itself.
Could I use the verb beweisen (to prove) instead of belegen in this context?
Yes, you could say Ein die Hypothese beweisendes Ergebnis... However, belegen is often preferred in scientific contexts for hypotheses, as it means to substantiate or to back up with data, whereas beweisen can imply an absolute mathematical proof.
Learn Ein die Hypothese belegendes Ergebnis ist wichtig and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free