Breakdown of Die Flüchtlinge verstecken sich im Wald.
in
in
sich
oneself / himself / herself / themselves (reflexive pronoun)
der Wald
the forest
verstecken
to hide
der Flüchtling
the refugee
Questions & Answers about Die Flüchtlinge verstecken sich im Wald.
How do we know the gender and plural form of Flüchtlinge?
Why is the reflexive pronoun sich used here when the English translation just says 'hide'?
In English, 'to hide' can mean hiding an object or hiding yourself. In German, the verb verstecken always requires a direct object. If you are hiding yourself, you must use the reflexive pronoun. Therefore, Die Flüchtlinge verstecken sich translates literally as 'The refugees hide themselves'.
Why is it im Wald and not in den Wald?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the action of hiding describes a static location (answering 'where?' or wo?), it requires the dative case, and in dem contracts to im. If they were actively running into the forest (a change of destination answering 'where to?'), it would take the accusative case: in den Wald.
How does the suffix -ling change the meaning of the root word here?
The root comes from the verb flüchten, which means 'to flee' or 'to escape'. Adding the suffix -ling creates a noun for the person who consistently performs that action or has that characteristic. So ein Flüchtling is literally 'one who flees'.
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