Breakdown of Dieser Vorwurf bedarf eines Beweises.
ein
a, an (eine)
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
der Beweis
the piece of evidence
der Vorwurf
the accusation
Questions & Answers about Dieser Vorwurf bedarf eines Beweises.
Why do we use the genitive form eines Beweises here instead of the accusative einen Beweis?
The verb bedürfen (to require or need) is one of a small group of German verbs that strictly require their object to be in the genitive case, rather than the usual accusative.
What is the infinitive of bedarf and why does it conjugate so irregularly?
The infinitive is bedürfen. It is derived from the modal verb dürfen (to be allowed to), which is why its present tense conjugation follows the exact same pattern. It has a vowel change and drops the typical -t ending in the third-person singular, giving us es bedarf just like es darf.
Why does Beweises end in -es rather than just -s?
Masculine and neuter nouns in the genitive case take an ending. While many nouns just take an -s, nouns ending in a sibilant (an s-sound like s, ss, ß, z, or x) strictly require an -es ending to be pronounceable. Since Beweis ends in an s-sound, it must become Beweises.
Could I just use brauchen instead of bedürfen to say this?
Yes, you could say Dieser Vorwurf braucht einen Beweis. The verb brauchen is much more common in everyday speech and simply takes the accusative case. Bedürfen sounds highly formal and is mostly used in written German, journalism, or official contexts.