Breakdown of Ich suche nicht mein Zeug, sondern irgendwelche alten Sachen.
ich
I
suchen
to look for
nicht
not
alt
old
mein
my
sondern
but rather
die Sache
the thing, the matter
irgendwelche
some / any (plural)
das Zeug
the stuff
Questions & Answers about Ich suche nicht mein Zeug, sondern irgendwelche alten Sachen.
Why do we use irgendwelche here instead of irgendeine?
The determiner irgendein- (some/any) is only used with singular nouns. Because Sachen (things) is plural, we have to switch to its plural equivalent, irgendwelch-. Since it modifies a direct object in the accusative case, we add the plural ending -e, resulting in irgendwelche.
Why does the adjective alt take the ending -en in irgendwelche alten Sachen?
The determiner irgendwelch- behaves like a definite article (like die for plural). When an adjective comes after a definite article or a similar determiner in the plural, it must take the weak declension ending, which is -en.
Why is the word for 'but' sondern here instead of aber?
We use sondern (meaning 'but rather') to directly contradict a negative statement. Because the first half uses nicht to state what you are not looking for, sondern is required to introduce the correct information.
Doesn't nicht usually go at the end of the sentence? Why is it right before mein Zeug?
When you negate a whole sentence or the main verb, nicht normally goes near the end. However, when you negate a specific element to set up a direct contrast (a 'not A, but B' scenario), you place nicht directly in front of the thing you are contrasting, which in this case is mein Zeug.
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