Breakdown of Das historische Wrack soll auf den Meeresgrund gesunken sein.
sein
to be
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
sollen
should / ought to
historisch
historical
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
sinken
to fall / to sink (go under water)
das Wrack
the wreck
der Meeresgrund
the ocean floor
Questions & Answers about Das historische Wrack soll auf den Meeresgrund gesunken sein.
Why is the perfect infinitive gesunken sein used here instead of gesunken haben?
To express hearsay about the past with sollen, we use the past participle plus a helping verb in the infinitive. Because the verb sinken describes a change of condition or movement to a new location, it forms its past tenses with sein, not haben. Therefore, its perfect infinitive is gesunken sein.
How do we know soll means 'is said to' here and not 'should'?
While sollen often means 'should' or 'supposed to' as an obligation, inanimate objects like a wreck cannot have duties. In B2 German, sollen is frequently used in a 'subjective' way to express rumors, claims, or hearsay, which translates best to 'is said to'.
Why does auf den Meeresgrund use the accusative case?
The preposition auf is a two-way preposition. Because the verb sinken involves a movement towards a destination (the ocean floor), we use the accusative case (den). If we were describing where the wreck currently rests, we would use the dative case: Es liegt auf dem Meeresgrund.
Why does the adjective in Das historische Wrack end in '-e'?
Wrack is a neuter noun. Because it is preceded by the definite article das in the nominative case, the adjective takes the weak declension ending -e. If we used the indefinite article, it would need the strong ending to show the neuter gender: ein historisches Wrack.
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