Breakdown of Niemand hat das Problem ernst genommen.
haben
to have
das Problem
the problem
niemand
no one
ernst nehmen
to take seriously
Questions & Answers about Niemand hat das Problem ernst genommen.
Why does German use hat ... ernst genommen instead of the simple past like English does?
In spoken and casual written German, the present perfect tense (hat ... genommen) is the most common way to talk about past events. English prefers the simple past (took). The German simple past (nahm) is mostly reserved for formal writing or literature.
What is the infinitive of genommen?
The infinitive is nehmen (to take). It is a strong (irregular) verb. By B1, it is highly recommended to memorize its three main forms: nimmt, nahm, hat genommen. Because of German sentence structure, the helping verb hat is in the second position, and the past participle genommen is pushed to the very end.
How does the phrase ernst nehmen work grammatically?
ernst nehmen (to take seriously) is an adjective plus verb combination, but it behaves very much like a separable prefix verb. The descriptive word ernst gets pushed to the end of the clause, sitting right in front of the past participle genommen.
Does niemand require another negative word like nicht?
No. Just like the English word nobody, the pronoun niemand makes the sentence negative all by itself. German does not use double negatives, so adding nicht would be incorrect. Also notice that niemand is singular, taking the third-person singular verb hat.
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