Question 1

Why is the verb ging (went) used here to mean "was"?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the expression um etwas gehen, which means "to be about" or "to be at stake." You might already know it from the phrase es geht um... (it is about...). When talking about bets, games, or competitions, gehen um is the idiomatic way to state what the stakes are.

Question 2

Could I say Die Wette war für zehn Euro instead?

Accepted Answer

A German speaker would understand you, but it sounds like a literal translation from English and isn't natural. You should use gehen um when discussing the amount or prize of a bet.

Question 3

Why isn't the plural form zehn Euros?

Accepted Answer

In German, masculine and neuter nouns used for measurement, quantity, or currency typically do not take a plural ending when they follow a number. Because the currency is der Euro (masculine), it remains zehn Euro.

Question 4

Is die Wette (the bet) derived from an adjective, just like die Größe (size) is from groß?

Accepted Answer

No, die Wette is not derived from an adjective (notice there is no umlaut shift here). It is the root for the verb wetten (to bet). However, it still follows the broad and helpful pattern that most abstract or action nouns ending in -e are feminine.

Die Wette ging um zehn Euro.

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