Breakdown of Die Erdlinge sind nicht nur mutig, sondern auch schlau.
sein
to be
auch
also, too
nicht
not
nur
only
sondern
but rather
mutig
brave
schlau
smart
der Erdling
the earthling
Questions & Answers about Die Erdlinge sind nicht nur mutig, sondern auch schlau.
The plural here is Erdlinge. Do all nouns ending in -ling form their plural this easily?
Why is sondern used here for "but" instead of aber?
The phrase nicht nur ..., sondern auch ... is a fixed correlative conjunction meaning "not only ..., but also ...". More broadly, sondern is used instead of aber whenever the first part of a sentence contains a negation (like nicht or kein) and the second part offers a direct correction or alternative.
Since die Erdlinge is plural, shouldn't mutig and schlau have plural endings?
No, because they are predicate adjectives. This means they follow a linking verb (sind) to describe the subject, rather than sitting directly in front of a noun. In German, adjectives only take endings when they are placed immediately before the noun they modify.
Is Erdling formed the exact same way as the English word "earthling"?
Yes! It combines the noun Erde (earth) with the suffix -ling, which is used to describe a person with a specific characteristic, affiliation, or origin. Other common examples include der Neuling (newcomer) and der Liebling (darling or favorite).
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