Breakdown of Es gilt, die Experimente deutlich zu dokumentieren.
das Experiment
the experiment
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
deutlich
clearly
dokumentieren
to document
Questions & Answers about Es gilt, die Experimente deutlich zu dokumentieren.
Why is the plural of Experiment formed as die Experimente and what is its singular gender?
The word Experiment ends in the Latin loan suffix -ment. Nouns ending in -ment are predictably neuter in German, making it das Experiment. To form the plural, these -ment nouns almost always just add an -e without an umlaut, resulting in die Experimente. Another common example is das Dokument, which becomes die Dokumente.
The translation says Es gilt means 'It is necessary'. Does gelten usually mean that?
On its own, gelten usually means 'to be valid' or 'to apply' (like a rule or a train ticket). However, the specific fixed construction es gilt, [etwas] zu tun is an idiom that means 'it is necessary to do [something]' or 'the task at hand is to do [something]'. It is a highly useful, slightly formal way to state an objective.
Why is there a comma before die Experimente?
The comma separates the main clause (Es gilt) from the extended infinitive clause (die Experimente deutlich zu dokumentieren). In German, when an infinitive phrase with zu contains extra elements like a direct object (die Experimente) or an adverb (deutlich), you generally need a comma to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
Does the verb dokumentieren follow a predictable pattern as a loanword?