Breakdown of Dank den originalen Ersatzteilen funktioniert alles wieder.
funktionieren
to work (function)
wieder
again
alles
everything
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Ersatzteil
the spare part
dank
thanks to
original
original
Questions & Answers about Dank den originalen Ersatzteilen funktioniert alles wieder.
Why does dank take the dative case den originalen Ersatzteilen here instead of the genitive?
The preposition dank can take either the dative or the genitive case. Both are completely correct when there is an article, so you could also write Dank der originalen Ersatzteile (genitive). In modern, everyday German, using the dative after dank is very common and perfectly natural, especially in the plural.
Why do both originalen and Ersatzteilen end in -en?
Since the sentence uses the dative plural with a definite article (den), the adjective original takes the standard weak ending -en. Additionally, almost all German nouns add an -n in the dative plural if their regular plural doesn't already end in -n or -s, which turns the base plural Ersatzteile into Ersatzteilen.
Why does the verb funktioniert come immediately after the comma?
The entire prepositional phrase Dank den originalen Ersatzteilen acts as a single block of information that takes up position one in the sentence. Because German main clauses strictly follow the verb-second rule, the verb funktioniert must sit in position two, pushing the subject alles into position three.
How is the compound noun Ersatzteilen built?
It combines der Ersatz (replacement or substitute) and das Teil (part or piece). Because the last noun in a German compound always dictates the gender, the singular form is das Ersatzteil.
Learn Dank den originalen Ersatzteilen funktioniert alles wieder and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free