Breakdown of Bist du den ständigen Lärm wirklich gewohnt?
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
wirklich
really
der Lärm
the noise
ständig
constantly
gewohnt
used to
Questions & Answers about Bist du den ständigen Lärm wirklich gewohnt?
Why is den ständigen Lärm in the accusative case here? Doesn't the verb sein usually take the nominative?
Normally, the verb sein links to a nominative noun. However, in this sentence, the adjective gewohnt (used to) strictly governs the accusative case. It requires an accusative object to express what someone is used to. Therefore, den ständigen Lärm is the object of the adjective gewohnt, not the verb sein.
Could I use the preposition an here and say Bist du an den ständigen Lärm gewohnt?
No, that mixes up two different grammatical structures. When you use the adjective phrase etwas gewohnt sein (to be used to something), it takes a direct accusative object without a preposition. If you want to use the preposition an, you must use the reflexive verb sich an etwas gewöhnen (to get used to something), which would look like: Hast du dich an den ständigen Lärm gewöhnt?
Why does the adjective ständig have an -en ending in this sentence?
Lärm is a masculine noun. Because it is in the accusative case governed by gewohnt, its definite article is den. Following a masculine accusative definite article, any descriptive adjective must take the weak ending -en, which gives us ständigen.
Why is gewohnt placed at the very end of the question?
In German, a linking verb like sein and its predicative adjective form a sentence bracket. The conjugated verb (Bist) takes the first position in this yes/no question, and the adjective (gewohnt) is pushed to the very end of the clause, wrapping around the accusative object and the adverb wirklich.
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