Breakdown of Der Rechnungsbetrag ist viel niedriger.
sein
to be
viel
much / a lot
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
niedrig
low
der Rechnungsbetrag
the invoice amount
Questions & Answers about Der Rechnungsbetrag ist viel niedriger.
Why is there an -s- in Rechnungsbetrag? Isn't Rechnung a feminine noun?
Yes, die Rechnung is feminine, and feminine nouns usually don't take an -s ending in the genitive case. However, when forming compound nouns, words ending in suffixes like -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, and -tion almost always take a linking -s- (Fugen-s). Thus, Rechnung + s + Betrag becomes Rechnungsbetrag.
Just a quick refresher: does the linking -s- affect the gender of the new compound noun?
No, the linking element has nothing to do with the gender. The gender of a German compound noun is determined entirely by its final word. Because the last word is masculine (der Betrag), the entire word is masculine (der Rechnungsbetrag).
Why is it viel niedriger and not declined, like vieles or viele?
Here, viel is used to emphasize a comparative adjective (meaning much lower, rather than many). In this role, it acts as an adverb. Adverbs are never declined in German, so it remains simply viel.
Since Rechnungsbetrag is masculine, is the -er on niedriger a masculine adjective ending?
No, the -er here is purely the comparative suffix (making low into lower), not a case ending. Because the adjective comes after the verb ist (as a predicate adjective), it takes no declension endings at all. If it were placed directly in front of the masculine noun, it would need both the comparative suffix and the declension ending, resulting in ein niedrigerer Betrag.
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