Breakdown of Trotz der Nässe funktioniert das Kabel.
funktionieren
to work (function)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
trotz
despite
das Kabel
the cable
die Nässe
the wetness
Questions & Answers about Trotz der Nässe funktioniert das Kabel.
How is the noun Nässe formed from the adjective nass?
To turn the adjective nass (wet) into the abstract noun for "wetness", German adds the suffix -e. Because the root vowel is an a, it takes an umlaut, changing to ä. As with almost all abstract nouns formed this way, die Nässe is feminine.
I often see abstract nouns ending in -heit or -keit. Why isn't it Nässigkeit?
While -heit and -keit are common suffixes for creating nouns from adjectives (like die Krankheit or die Möglichkeit), single-syllable adjectives describing basic physical properties or dimensions typically use the -e suffix plus an umlaut instead. Other common examples include kalt -> die Kälte (the cold) and groß -> die Größe (the size).
Why does the sentence say der Nässe if the noun is feminine?
The preposition trotz (despite) requires the genitive case in written and standard German. The feminine genitive definite article is der, so die Nässe becomes trotz der Nässe. Interestingly, even if someone uses the colloquial dative case with trotz, it would still be der Nässe, because the feminine dative article is also der.
Why does the verb funktioniert come before the subject das Kabel?
This is a great example of the strict "verb-second" (V2) rule in action. The entire prepositional phrase Trotz der Nässe occupies the first position in the sentence. Therefore, the conjugated verb funktioniert must immediately follow it in the second position, which pushes the subject das Kabel into the third position.
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