Breakdown of Die Konkurrenz ist ein großer Rückschlag für das Startup.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
groß
big / tall
für
for
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Startup
the startup
die Konkurrenz
the competition (business, competitors)
der Rückschlag
the setback
Questions & Answers about Die Konkurrenz ist ein großer Rückschlag für das Startup.
If I want to turn this idea into a prepositional phrase using trotz (despite), how does ein großer Rückschlag change?
To say 'despite the big setback' using this lesson's grammar, you must put the phrase into the genitive case. It becomes trotz des großen Rückschlags. The article becomes des, the adjective takes the -en ending, and the masculine noun Rückschlag gets an -s at the end.
Why is it ein großer Rückschlag in the nominative case? Doesn't the sentence have a direct object?
No, because the verb ist (from sein) is a linking verb, not an action verb. It equates the subject (Die Konkurrenz) with a state or thing. Linking verbs always require the nominative case for both elements, so it is ein großer Rückschlag instead of the accusative einen großen Rückschlag.
Since Startup is an English loanword, does it follow normal German noun rules for the genitive case?
Yes, it acts as a standard neuter noun. If you were to use it with trotz in the genitive (e.g., 'despite the startup'), it would become trotz des Startups. Like many English loanwords, it just takes an -s for both the genitive singular and the nominative plural.
Can die Konkurrenz mean both the abstract idea of competition and the actual competitors?
Exactly. In German business contexts, die Konkurrenz is heavily used as a collective noun for 'the competitors' or 'the rival companies', just as much as it means the abstract concept of market rivalry.
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