Learn German: Das Erlebnis war damals ein großes Wagnis. - The experience was a great venture back then.

Das Erlebnis war damals ein großes Wagnis.

The experience was a great venture back then.

Breakdown of Das Erlebnis war damals ein großes Wagnis.

Questions & Answers about Das Erlebnis war damals ein großes Wagnis.

Both Erlebnis and Wagnis end in -nis. Are all nouns ending in -nis neuter?

Most nouns ending in -nis are neuter, like das Erlebnis (the experience) and das Wagnis (the venture or risk). However, a significant minority are feminine, such as die Erlaubnis (the permission) or die Erkenntnis (the realization). There are no masculine nouns ending in this suffix.

How do I form the plural of Erlebnis and Wagnis?

You add -se to the end, and the final s of the singular noun is doubled. Therefore, das Erlebnis becomes die Erlebnisse, and das Wagnis becomes die Wagnisse. This predictable -nisse plural pattern applies to almost all nouns ending in -nis, whether they are neuter or feminine.

Why does the adjective take the -es ending in ein großes Wagnis?

The phrase is in the nominative case, acting as the subject complement after the verb war (was). Because Wagnis is a neuter noun and follows the indefinite article ein (which doesn't show the gender itself), the adjective groß has to step up and take the strong neuter ending -es.

Does Erlebnis mean the same thing as ?