Breakdown of Ein fremder Mann hat die Alarmanlage ausgelöst.
ein
a, an (eine)
der Mann
the man
haben
to have
fremd
strange
auslösen
to trigger
die Alarmanlage
the alarm system
Questions & Answers about Ein fremder Mann hat die Alarmanlage ausgelöst.
Since this lesson focuses on the modal particle etwa, how would I rewrite this sentence as a question to express disbelief?
You would invert the subject and conjugated verb to form a question and insert etwa. For example: Hat etwa ein fremder Mann die Alarmanlage ausgelöst? This translates to 'Did an unfamiliar man really trigger the alarm system?!' and adds a strong tone of surprise, concern, or negative expectation.
Why does fremder Mann translate to 'unfamiliar man' instead of 'foreign man'?
The adjective fremd can mean both 'foreign' (from another country) and 'unfamiliar', 'unknown', or 'strange'. In everyday contexts like a security breach or meeting someone new, it almost always means 'unfamiliar'. If you specifically meant someone from another country, context usually makes it clear, or you might use the noun der Ausländer.
I always second-guess adjective endings. Why does it have to be ein fremder Mann with an -er?
This is a great chance for a mixed declension refresher! Mann is a masculine noun in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence. Since the indefinite article ein has no ending here to indicate the masculine gender, the adjective has to do the heavy lifting and take the strong ending -er.
Is auslösen the standard verb for setting off an alarm?
Yes, einen Alarm auslösen (to trigger or set off an alarm) is the standard collocation in German. The separable verb auslösen is incredibly useful at the B2 level because it is also used abstractly for triggering emotions, reactions, crises, or events.
I learned that Anlage means an email attachment. How does it mean 'system' in Alarmanlage?
Die Anlage is a highly versatile noun derived from anlegen (to lay out, to invest, to put on). In technical, industrial, or building contexts, it refers to a complex 'system', 'facility', or 'installation' (like die Klimaanlage for air conditioning). In the context of an email, it refers to a document that is 'laid in' or attached.
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