Breakdown of Mit den Nachbarn gab es nur Ärger.
der Nachbar
the neighbor (male)
mit
with
es gibt
there is / there are
nur
only
der Ärger
the trouble, the annoyance
Questions & Answers about Mit den Nachbarn gab es nur Ärger.
Since this lesson is about the Ge-...-e pattern for annoying actions, could we say Geärgere instead of Ärger here?
Yes, you could say Mit den Nachbarn gab es nur Geärgere. While Ärger simply means "trouble" or "anger," using the noun das Geärgere (created from the verb ärgern) emphasizes a continuous, repetitive, and highly annoying action, like constant mutual provoking or bickering.
Why is it gab es instead of es gab?
In German, the conjugated verb must be the second element in a main clause. Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Mit den Nachbarn (position 1), the verb gab (position 2) must come next, pushing the subject es to the third position.
Why does Nachbarn end in an -n here?
Nachbar is a weak noun (part of the n-declension group), meaning it takes an -n or -en ending in all cases except the nominative singular. Here it is plural and follows the dative preposition mit, resulting in den Nachbarn.
The translation says "nothing but trouble", but doesn't nur just mean "only"?
Yes, nur literally translates to "only." However, translating it as "nothing but" captures the exact conversational tone and emphasis that nur Ärger conveys in German, making it sound much more natural in English.
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