Breakdown of Exotische Reptilien wie der Leguan brauchen ein Terrarium.
ein
a, an (eine)
brauchen
to need
wie
as (in comparisons)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
exotisch
exotic
das Reptil
the reptile
der Leguan
the iguana
das Terrarium
the terrarium
Questions & Answers about Exotische Reptilien wie der Leguan brauchen ein Terrarium.
Why is der Leguan in the nominative case here?
The phrase wie der Leguan acts as an example for exotische Reptilien. In German, nouns connected by wie usually take the same case as the noun they refer to. Since exotische Reptilien is the subject of the sentence (nominative), der Leguan must also be in the nominative case.
If der Leguan is singular, why is the verb brauchen in the plural form?
The core subject of the sentence is the plural noun phrase exotische Reptilien. The phrase starting with wie is just an extra detail giving an example. It does not change the grammatical number of the main subject, so the verb stays plural.
Why does the adjective exotische end in -e instead of -en?
Reptilien is plural. Because there is no article (such as die or meine) before it, the adjective exotisch takes the strong adjective ending. For plural nouns in the nominative case, that ending is -e.
Terrarium is a loanword. How do you form its plural?
It is a neuter noun (das Terrarium). Nouns ending in -ium are typically borrowed from Latin. To make them plural in German, you replace the -ium with -ien, making it die Terrarien (just like das Aquarium becomes die Aquarien).
Learn Exotische Reptilien wie der Leguan brauchen ein Terrarium and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free