Breakdown of Ein Terrarium ist das Zuhause schlechthin für exotische Tiere.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
das Tier
the animal
für
for
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Zuhause
the home
schlechthin
par excellence
exotisch
exotic
das Terrarium
the terrarium
Questions & Answers about Ein Terrarium ist das Zuhause schlechthin für exotische Tiere.
What does schlechthin mean, and why is it placed right after das Zuhause?
schlechthin translates to "par excellence," "quintessential," or "absolute." Unlike most adjectives or adverbs, it almost always comes directly after the noun it emphasizes. Here, das Zuhause schlechthin means "the absolute ultimate home."
Wait, isn't zu Hause written as two words? Why is it das Zuhause here?
When you are saying "at home," you use the phrase zu Hause (or zuhause). However, in this sentence, it is used as a noun meaning "the home." As a noun, it is capitalized and written as one word: das Zuhause.
Why does the adjective exotische end in -e here?
The preposition für always triggers the accusative case. Since Tiere is a plural noun and there is no article (like die or meine) in front of it, the adjective has to do the heavy lifting and show the case. For accusative plural with no article, the ending is -e, giving us für exotische Tiere.
Could I put für exotische Tiere before schlechthin?
It is much better to keep schlechthin directly next to das Zuhause. Because schlechthin strongly emphasizes the noun it follows, separating them with a prepositional phrase (like das Zuhause für exotische Tiere schlechthin) sounds awkward and weakens the emphasis.
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