Breakdown of Die Vermächtnisse dieser Helden sind verloren.
sein
to be
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
verlieren
to lose
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Held
the hero
das Vermächtnis
the legacy
Questions & Answers about Die Vermächtnisse dieser Helden sind verloren.
Why is the 's' doubled in Vermächtnisse?
Vermächtnis ends in the suffix -nis. To form the plural of -nis nouns, you add -se. The s is doubled to ss to keep the short vowel sound of the i intact, resulting in the predictable plural ending -nisse.
Why does the sentence use dieser instead of diese?
dieser Helden means "of these heroes", so it must be in the genitive case to show possession. For plural nouns in the genitive case, the demonstrative pronoun diese takes an -r ending, becoming dieser.
Does the word Helden change its ending because it is in the genitive case here?
No, it doesn't take an extra genitive -s like many other nouns. der Held (the hero) belongs to a group of masculine nouns called "n-nouns" (or weak nouns) that take an -en ending in every form except the nominative singular. Its base plural is die Helden, and the genitive plural remains exactly the same.
Why is it sind verloren rather than werden verloren?
verloren is the past participle of verlieren (to lose). Using the verb sein (here, sind) with a past participle forms the statal passive, which focuses on a current state or result: they are currently lost. If you used werden, it would describe the action taking place right now: they are being lost.
Learn Die Vermächtnisse dieser Helden sind verloren 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