Breakdown of Das Austrocknen der kleinen Flüsse bedroht die Insekten.
klein
small
der Fluss
the river
bedrohen
to threaten
austrocknen
to dry up
das Insekt
the insect
Questions & Answers about Das Austrocknen der kleinen Flüsse bedroht die Insekten.
Why is Austrocknen capitalized and preceded by Das?
Austrocknen is a nominalized verb. In German, you can turn any verb into a noun by capitalizing its infinitive form. These newly formed nouns are always neuter, meaning they take the article das. It usually translates to an "-ing" noun (gerund) in English, like "the drying up" in this sentence.
Why is it der kleinen Flüsse when the plural for rivers is die Flüsse?
This phrase is in the genitive case, which is used to show a relationship or possession (translating to "of the small rivers"). In the genitive plural, the definite article die changes to der. Additionally, because the adjective klein follows a definite article in this case, it takes the weak declension ending -en.
Flüsse is plural, so why does the verb bedroht have a singular ending?
The grammatical subject of the sentence is the singular noun Das Austrocknen (the drying up), not the rivers themselves. Because it is the drying up that is doing the threatening, the verb bedrohen must match this singular subject and is conjugated as bedroht.
What is the difference between trocknen and austrocknen?
While trocknen simply means "to dry" (like drying your clothes or hair), the separable prefix aus- adds the meaning of drying out or drying up completely. You use austrocknen for things losing all their natural moisture, such as rivers, lakes, or even skin.
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