Breakdown of Ich prüfe den Bearbeitungsstand.
ich
I
prüfen
to check / to test
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Bearbeitungsstand
the processing status
Questions & Answers about Ich prüfe den Bearbeitungsstand.
Why is there an -s- in the middle of Bearbeitungsstand?
The -s- is a linking element (Fugenlaut) used to join the two words together: die Bearbeitung + der Stand. A highly reliable rule in German is that feminine nouns ending in suffixes like -ung, -heit, -keit, -ion, or -tät almost always take an -s- when they form the first part of a compound noun.
How do I know the gender of a long compound word like Bearbeitungsstand?
The very last noun in the chain always dictates the gender and plural form of the entire word. Here, the last part is der Stand (masculine), making the whole word masculine. Because it is the direct object of the verb prüfen, it takes the masculine accusative article den.
What does Stand actually mean here? I usually associate it with standing up.
While the verb stehen means to stand, the noun der Stand frequently translates to status, state, or level in compound nouns. For example, der Wasserstand is the water level, and der Punktestand is a score. In Bearbeitungsstand, it refers to the current progress or status of the work being done.
Could I use kontrollieren instead of prüfen here?