Breakdown of Ein einmaliges Problem braucht keinen mehrfachen Test.
ein
a, an (eine)
kein
no, not any
das Problem
the problem
brauchen
to need
Questions & Answers about Ein einmaliges Problem braucht keinen mehrfachen Test.
Why do we use einmaliges for the problem but mehrfachen for the test?
The suffix -malig relates to frequency in time, so einmaliges means occurring once or one-time. The suffix -fach relates to structure or quantity (like the English -fold), so mehrfachen means multiple or multi-layered. A mehrmaligen Test would mean taking a test several separate times, whereas a mehrfachen Test means a single test with multiple components.
Why is there an -ig before the ending in einmaliges? Isn't the word just einmal?
Einmal is an adverb, and adverbs normally cannot be placed directly in front of a noun to modify it. To turn einmal into an adjective that can take grammatical endings (like the neuter -es), we must add the suffix -ig.
Why does einmaliges end in -es but mehrfachen ends in -en?
Both adjectives follow mixed declension rules because they come after ein and kein. Problem is neuter nominative, and since the word Ein does not show the neuter gender marker, einmaliges takes the strong -es ending. Test is masculine accusative because it receives the action, so mehrfachen takes the standard masculine accusative -en ending.