Breakdown of Die Gründer haben die Absicht, ein ökologisches Gewächshaus in der Kommune zu bauen.
ein
a, an (eine)
in
in
haben
to have
bauen
to build
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Gründer
the founder
die Absicht
the intention
die Kommune
the commune
ökologisch
ecological
das Gewächshaus
the greenhouse
Questions & Answers about Die Gründer haben die Absicht, ein ökologisches Gewächshaus in der Kommune zu bauen.
Which modal verb does die Absicht haben replace in this sentence?
It acts as a formal alternative to wollen (to want to / to intend to). While wollen directly pairs with an infinitive (e.g., Die Gründer wollen ein Gewächshaus bauen), using the noun phrase die Absicht haben requires you to form an extended infinitive clause using zu at the end of the sentence (... zu bauen).
Is the comma after Absicht mandatory?
Yes. In German, when an infinitive clause with zu directly describes or depends on a noun in the main clause—in this case, the noun die Absicht—you must separate it with a comma.
Why does the adjective end in -es in ein ökologisches Gewächshaus?
Gewächshaus (greenhouse) is a neuter noun, and here it is the direct object of bauen, putting it in the accusative case. Because it follows the indefinite article ein, the adjective must take the strong ending for the neuter accusative, which is -es.
Why do we use the dative case for in der Kommune if building involves an action?
The two-way preposition in takes the dative case here because it describes the fixed location where the action is happening (answering wo? or where?). The founders are constructing the greenhouse within the commune's borders, rather than moving it from the outside into the commune.
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