Breakdown of Abgesehen von diesem Erdling sind alle Menschen gerettet.
sein
to be
alle
all, everyone
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
der Mensch
the human, person
retten
to save (rescue)
abgesehen von
apart from
der Erdling
the earthling
Questions & Answers about Abgesehen von diesem Erdling sind alle Menschen gerettet.
Why is it diesem Erdling and not diesen Erdling?
The phrase abgesehen von ("apart from") includes the preposition von, which always takes the dative case. Nouns ending in the suffix -ling, like Erdling, are predictably masculine (der Erdling). The dative masculine ending for dies- is -em, giving us diesem Erdling.
Since Erdling refers to a living being, why doesn't it take an -n or -en ending in the dative?
Nouns ending in the suffix -ling are regular (strong) masculine nouns, meaning they never belong to the weak "n-declension" group. Unlike the weak noun der Mensch, which adds an -en ending in the dative (dem Menschen), Erdling simply stays Erdling in the dative singular.
What exactly is abgesehen von?
Abgesehen von is a very common fixed expression meaning "apart from," "except for," or "disregarding." It is formed from the past participle of absehen (to look away / to refrain) and the dative preposition von.
Why does the sentence use sind ... gerettet instead of werden ... gerettet?
This is the stative passive (Zustandspassiv), formed with sein and a past participle. It focuses on the resulting state of a completed action: the humans are already safe. If the rescue were actively happening right now, you would use the action passive (Vorgangspassiv) with werden: werden ... gerettet ("are being rescued").
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