Breakdown of Du bist ein Feigling!
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
du
you (informal singular)
der Feigling
the coward
Questions & Answers about Du bist ein Feigling!
Why is the article ein used here, and is the gender of Feigling predictable?
Yes! Any noun ending in the suffix -ling is predictably masculine. Because the verb sein (here as bist) connects the subject to a noun in the same case, we use the masculine nominative article ein.
How is the word Feigling constructed?
It combines the adjective feige (cowardly) with the suffix -ling. In German, adding -ling to an adjective or a verb stem is a common way to create a masculine noun describing a person characterized by that trait.
If I wanted to address a group and say 'You are cowards!', how does the plural of Feigling work?
I still sometimes mix up accusative and nominative. Why doesn't Feigling take the accusative einen here?
The verb sein (to be) is a linking verb, meaning it acts like an equal sign between the subject (du) and the noun (Feigling). Because the noun doesn't receive an action like a direct object would, it stays in the nominative case.
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