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Die Schützlinge sind versteckt.

Die Schützlinge sind versteckt.
The protégés are hidden.
From Lesson 467:Nouns ending in -ling (-ling)·German

Breakdown of Die Schützlinge sind versteckt.

sein
to be
verstecken
to hide
der Schützling
the protégé

Questions & Answers about Die Schützlinge sind versteckt.

Why does the plural of Schützling only add an -e rather than -en or an extra umlaut?
Nouns ending in the suffix -ling are predictably masculine. To form their plural, you simply add an -e to the end. The root of this word already has an umlaut, but you never add a new one for -ling plurals, so der Schützling becomes die Schützlinge.
I recognize the root of Schützlinge. How is this word constructed?
It comes from the verb schützen (to protect) or the noun der Schutz (protection). The suffix -ling often turns a verb or trait into a person characterized by it. A Schützling is therefore a person receiving protection, meaning a protégé or ward.
Does sind versteckt count as the passive voice?
It is a stative passive, known in German as the Zustandspassiv. By using sein (here, sind) instead of werden with a past participle, the sentence focuses on the result or current state (they are currently hidden) rather than the action of someone actively hiding them.
If versteckt describes the plural noun Schützlinge, why doesn't it get an -e ending?
Even though versteckt acts like an adjective describing a plural noun, it sits after a linking verb (sind). In German, predicate adjectives never take declension endings, so it remains in its base form.

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