Breakdown of Wir wühlen weiter, bis wir irgendwelche Schlüssel finden.
wir
we
finden
to find
der Schlüssel
the key
bis
until / to (as far as)
weiter
further, on (continuing)
wühlen
to rummage
irgendwelche
some / any (plural)
Questions & Answers about Wir wühlen weiter, bis wir irgendwelche Schlüssel finden.
Why is it irgendwelche here and not a form of irgendein?
Irgendein- is only used for singular nouns, but Schlüssel is plural in this sentence. Because ein inherently means "one" and cannot be plural, German uses irgendwelche for plural nouns to mean "some" or "any kind of".
What case is irgendwelche Schlüssel, and why does it end in -e?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb finden. The plural accusative ending for -welch- words is -e, giving us irgendwelche.
How does weiter translate to "keep" in "keep rummaging"?
In German, pairing weiter (further) with a verb is the standard way to say you continue doing an action. Wir wühlen weiter literally means "we rummage further", which translates naturally to English as "we keep rummaging".
Why is finden pushed to the very end of the sentence?
The word bis (until) is a subordinating conjunction. It kicks off a dependent clause, which requires the conjugated verb to sit at the very end.
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