Breakdown of Jeder Soldat hatte einen Bogen und viele Pfeile.
ein
a, an (eine)
und
and
haben
to have
viel
much / a lot
jeder
everyone / each
der Soldat
the soldier
der Pfeil
the arrow
der Bogen
the bow
Questions & Answers about Jeder Soldat hatte einen Bogen und viele Pfeile.
Soldat belongs to the N-declension (weak masculine nouns). Why doesn't it have an -en ending here?
N-declension nouns add an -en (or -n) in all cases except the nominative singular. Since Jeder Soldat is the subject of the sentence, it is in the nominative case and remains Soldat.
Could I say Alle Soldaten instead of Jeder Soldat?
Yes, Alle Soldaten hatten... ('All soldiers had...') conveys the same general meaning. Just remember that jeder ('every' or 'each') must be followed by a singular noun, just like in English, whereas alle ('all') requires a plural noun.
What is the plural of Bogen?
In modern German, the plural is usually Bögen (with an umlaut), though you might occasionally see the older plural Bogen (without the umlaut). In this sentence, it is singular: einen Bogen is the accusative direct object.
Why is the ending on viele just -e?
Viele Pfeile is part of the direct object of hatte, meaning it is in the accusative case. When viel is used with a countable plural noun like Pfeile (arrows) and no other article is present, it takes the strong accusative plural ending -e.
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