Breakdown of Das Volk wählte eine neue Regierung.
neu
new
wählen
to dial
die Regierung
the government
das Volk
the people, the nation
Questions & Answers about Das Volk wählte eine neue Regierung.
Why is the verb wählte singular when the English translation says "The people elected"?
In German, das Volk is a singular neuter noun referring to the populace or a nation as a single collective body. Therefore, it takes the singular verb wählte. If you mean "people" in the sense of multiple individuals, you would use the plural nouns die Leute or die Menschen, which would take a plural verb.
Since this lesson is about linking elements (Fugenlaute), what linking element does Volk take in a compound noun?
When Volk is the first part of a compound noun, it usually takes an -s-. For example, combining it with die Abstimmung (the vote) gives you die Volksabstimmung (the referendum), and combining it with der Vertreter (the representative) creates der Volksvertreter.
What linking element does Regierung use if I want to form a compound noun, such as "government spokesperson"?
Nouns ending in the suffix -ung almost always take an -s- as a linking element. To say "government spokesperson", you combine die Regierung, the linking -s-, and der Sprecher to get der Regierungssprecher.
Why does this sentence use the Präteritum (wählte) instead of the Perfekt (hat gewählt)?
Both are grammatically correct, but wählte is preferred here because this sentence reads like a historical statement, a formal news report, or written literature. The Präteritum is the standard narrative past tense in formal written German, whereas in casual conversation you would more likely hear Das Volk hat eine neue Regierung gewählt.
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