Breakdown of Die Rückgabequittung steht im Bibliothekskonto.
stehen
to stand
im
in the; (masculine or neuter)
das Bibliothekskonto
the library account
die Rückgabequittung
the return receipt
Questions & Answers about Die Rückgabequittung steht im Bibliothekskonto.
What does Rückgabequittung mean, and how is it built?
Rückgabequittung is a compound noun:
- Rückgabe = return, giving something back
- Quittung = receipt
So Rückgabequittung means return receipt or receipt confirming a return.
German often combines nouns into one longer noun. The last part usually determines the basic meaning and the grammatical gender. Here, the last part is Quittung, so the whole word is feminine.
Why does the sentence start with Die?
Die is the definite article for Rückgabequittung.
Because Quittung is feminine, the compound Rückgabequittung is also feminine, so in the nominative singular you get:
- die Rückgabequittung
In this sentence, it is the subject, so nominative is the correct case.
How do I know Rückgabequittung is singular and not plural?