Learn German: Diese engen Spitzenschuhe verursachen oft Blasen. - These tight pointe shoes often cause blisters.

Diese engen Spitzenschuhe verursachen oft Blasen.

These tight pointe shoes often cause blisters.

Breakdown of Diese engen Spitzenschuhe verursachen oft Blasen.

oft

often

dieser

this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)

Questions & Answers about Diese engen Spitzenschuhe verursachen oft Blasen.

Why does engen end in -en here?

After a plural demonstrative pronoun like diese, the following adjective takes the weak declension. For plural nouns in all cases (here it is the nominative case), the weak adjective ending is always -en.

How is the compound noun Spitzenschuhe formed?

It is made of die Spitze (point or tip) and der Schuh (shoe) in the plural, joined by the linking letter -n-. It refers specifically to ballet pointe shoes.

How could I follow this up with 'Nevertheless, she wears them' using the lesson's grammar?

You would say: Nichtsdestotrotz trägt sie sie. Because nichtsdestotrotz is an adverb and takes the first position in the new clause, the conjugated verb trägt must immediately follow it in the second position.

Could I just use machen instead of verursachen to say 'make blisters'?

You might hear Blasen machen in casual everyday speech, but verursachen (to cause) is the standard and more elegant way to express that a specific object provokes a negative physical reaction, damage, or trouble.