Breakdown of Das Formular fragt nach Alter und Geschlecht.
und
and
fragen
to ask
nach
to / towards
das Formular
the form
das Alter
the old age / the age
das Geschlecht
the gender, the sex
Questions & Answers about Das Formular fragt nach Alter und Geschlecht.
Why use fragt nach instead of bittet um here?
In German, fragen nach is used when asking about or asking for information (like someone's age). If you are requesting that someone hand over a physical object or perform an action, you use bitten um. Since the form is requesting information, fragt nach is the correct choice.
Why are there no articles before Alter and Geschlecht?
It is very common in German to drop the articles for abstract concepts and general categories, especially when they appear after a preposition or are grouped together in a list. Saying nach dem Alter und dem Geschlecht wouldn't be grammatically wrong, but leaving them out sounds much more natural for categories on a form.
What case is triggered by the preposition nach?
The preposition nach always triggers the dative case. Even though the definite articles are dropped in this sentence, the nouns Alter and Geschlecht are grammatically sitting in the dative case.
Does the word Geschlecht have other meanings besides "gender"?
Yes, but it depends on the context. In bureaucratic and everyday contexts, das Geschlecht translates to "sex" or "gender". In historical, biological, or literary contexts, it can also mean "lineage", "dynasty", or "genus".
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