Breakdown of Während der Ausgrabung legen die Forscher viel Keramik frei.
viel
much / a lot
während
during
der Forscher
the researcher
die Ausgrabung
the excavation
freilegen
to uncover (expose, excavate)
die Keramik
the pottery
Questions & Answers about Während der Ausgrabung legen die Forscher viel Keramik frei.
How would this sentence look if we used a subordinate clause instead of the noun phrase Während der Ausgrabung?
You would use the conjunction während (while) instead of the preposition während (during). For example: Während die Forscher ausgraben, legen sie viel Keramik frei. Nominalizing the action into a prepositional phrase like Während der Ausgrabung makes the sentence more concise, which is a key feature of B2-level written German.
Why is it der Ausgrabung if Ausgrabung is a feminine noun?
Because the preposition während requires the genitive case. For feminine nouns like die Ausgrabung, the genitive definite article changes to der.
Is there a reliable rule for knowing the gender of nominalized words like Ausgrabung?
Yes! Nouns created from verbs by adding the suffix -ung (here, from the verb ausgraben) are always feminine. Knowing this rule saves you from having to memorize the gender of hundreds of nouns.
Why doesn't viel have an ending here, like viele Keramik?
What is the infinitive of the verb legen ... frei?
The infinitive is freilegen, which is a separable verb meaning to uncover or to expose. Because this is a standard main clause, the conjugated part (legen) sits in the second position, and the separable prefix (frei) is kicked to the very end of the sentence.
Learn Während der Ausgrabung legen die Forscher viel Keramik frei 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