Question 1

Why does the plural word Begräbnisse have a double 's' when the singular form Begräbnis only has one?

Accepted Answer

When forming the plural of nouns ending in -nis, you add -se to the end, which doubles the 's' in writing to keep the preceding vowel short. So das Begräbnis (the funeral) becomes die Begräbnisse. This predictable pattern applies to all -nis nouns, like das Ergebnis becoming die Ergebnisse.

Question 2

Are nouns ending in -nis, like Begräbnis, always neuter (das)?

Accepted Answer

Most of them are neuter (das), like das Begräbnis or das Geheimnis (the secret). However, a few common ones are feminine (die), such as die Kenntnis (the knowledge) or die Erlaubnis (the permission). A helpful rule of thumb is that they are never masculine (der).

Question 3

How is the past participle stattgefunden formed from the verb stattfinden?

Accepted Answer

Stattfinden (to take place) is a separable verb. When forming the perfect tense, the -ge- marker required for the past participle gets sandwiched directly between the separable prefix statt- and the irregular verb stem -funden. This merges into the single word stattgefunden placed at the very end of the sentence.

Question 4

Since heimlich translates to 'secretly', could I use geheim in this sentence instead?

Accepted Answer

They are very close in meaning, but heimlich is the most natural choice here. Heimlich is typically used as an adverb focusing on how an action is performed sneakily or out of sight, which fits the action of holding a funeral. Geheim is usually an adjective describing a static classified fact or object, like a secret document (ein geheimes Dokument).

Viele Begräbnisse haben damals heimlich stattgefunden.

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