Breakdown of Mithilfe des Defibrillators stabilisiert der Notarzt das Herz.
der Notarzt
the emergency doctor
das Herz
the heart
mithilfe
with the help of
der Defibrillator
the defibrillator
Questions & Answers about Mithilfe des Defibrillators stabilisiert der Notarzt das Herz.
Why is Mithilfe written as one word here, and what case does it take?
As a preposition meaning "with the help of", mithilfe is written as one word and always requires the genitive case. That is why the masculine noun that follows it becomes des Defibrillators.
Why does the verb stabilisiert come before the subject der Notarzt?
This is because of the standard German verb-second rule. The sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Mithilfe des Defibrillators, which takes up the entire first position. The conjugated verb stabilisiert must come second, pushing the subject der Notarzt into the third position.
Why is there an -s at the end of Defibrillators?
Because der Defibrillator is a masculine noun in the genitive case. Most masculine and neuter nouns add an -s or -es ending when they are in the genitive.
I remember das Herz being an irregular noun. Why doesn't it have a special ending in this sentence?
das Herz (the heart) is indeed an irregular neuter noun that changes in the dative (dem Herzen) and genitive (des Herzens). However, in this sentence, it is the direct object being stabilized, so it is in the accusative case. In the accusative, it stays exactly the same as its nominative form: das Herz.