Breakdown of Echte Reue ist ein Zeichen für moralische Stärke.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
für
for
echt
really (intensifier); genuine
Questions & Answers about Echte Reue ist ein Zeichen für moralische Stärke.
The English translation uses "of". Could we use the genitive case here instead of the preposition "für"?
Absolutely. You could say ein Zeichen moralischer Stärke. Using two nouns together in the genitive to express "of" is very common, especially in written or formal German. The phrasing with für plus the accusative (für moralische Stärke) means exactly the same thing but sounds slightly more conversational.
Why do both "echte" and "moralische" end in "-e" here, even though one is nominative and the other is accusative?
Both Reue and Stärke are feminine nouns used here without an article (like die or eine). When there is no article to show the grammatical case, the adjective has to do the heavy lifting (this is called "strong declension"). For feminine nouns, the strong adjective ending is -e in both the nominative case (echte Reue) and the accusative case (which is required by the preposition für, giving us moralische Stärke).
Is there a rule that tells us abstract words like "Reue" and "Stärke" are feminine?
Yes, as a very reliable rule of thumb, German nouns ending in -e are feminine (with just a few exceptions like der Junge or der Käse). Stärke is a classic example of how to form a feminine abstract noun: you take an adjective (stark), add an umlaut, and attach an -e.
How does "Reue" differ from other words for regret, like "Bedauern"?