Breakdown of Die Gebrauchsspuren sind sichtbar.
sein
to be
sichtbar
visible
die Gebrauchsspuren
the signs of wear
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Questions & Answers about Die Gebrauchsspuren sind sichtbar.
Why is die used here? Doesn’t die usually mean the for feminine nouns?
Yes, but die is also the definite article for the plural in German.
In this sentence, Gebrauchsspuren is plural, so die Gebrauchsspuren means the signs of wear / the signs of use.
A useful reminder:
- der = masculine singular
- die = feminine singular
- das = neuter singular
- die = plural for all genders
So here, die does not mean the noun is feminine singular; it means the noun is plural.
Why is sind used instead of ist?
Because the subject is plural.
- die Gebrauchsspur → singular → ist
- die Gebrauchsspuren → plural → sind
So:
- Die Gebrauchsspur ist sichtbar. = The sign of wear is visible.
- Die Gebrauchsspuren sind sichtbar. = The signs of wear are visible.
German verbs agree with the subject in number, just like English does.
What case is Gebrauchsspuren in here?
It is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.
Ask yourself: what is visible?
Answer: die Gebrauchsspuren
That makes die Gebrauchsspuren the subject, so it is nominative.