Breakdown of Eine barrierefreie Wohnung ist für eine ältere Frau sehr wichtig.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
die Frau
the woman
sehr
very
alt
old
wichtig
important
die Wohnung
the apartment
für
for
barrierefrei
accessible
Questions & Answers about Eine barrierefreie Wohnung ist für eine ältere Frau sehr wichtig.
Why does the sentence use ältere (older) when the English translation says "an elderly woman"?
This is an example of the Absolute Comparative (Absoluter Komparativ), the focus of this lesson. In German, the comparative form is often used without actually comparing two things. Instead of meaning "older than someone else," ältere softens the adjective alt. It means "quite old" or "elderly," which sounds much more polite than calling her an alte Frau (an old woman).
Are there other adjectives that use this Absolute Comparative pattern like ältere does here?
Yes! You will frequently see this with adjectives describing age, time, or distance. Common examples include eine längere Zeit (a fairly long time, not necessarily longer than another specific time) or ein jüngerer Mann (a fairly young man). It is a standard way to soften an adjective or express "somewhat [adjective]."
How is the word barrierefreie formed and why does it end in -e?
barrierefrei combines die Barriere (barrier) and the suffix -frei (free of). Because it modifies the feminine noun Wohnung in the nominative case after the indefinite article eine, it takes the mixed declension ending -e.
Why is the adjective ending on ältere also just -e? Isn't it in a different case from barrierefreie?
Yes, it is in a different case, but the ending happens to be the same. The preposition für always triggers the accusative case. For feminine nouns like Frau following an indefinite article (eine), the accusative mixed adjective ending is -e. Feminine words luckily share the exact same endings in both the nominative and accusative cases.
Learn Eine barrierefreie Wohnung ist für eine ältere Frau sehr wichtig 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