Ich brauche Bestätigung.

I need confirmation.

Breakdown of Ich brauche Bestätigung.

• ich: I
• brauchen: to need
• die Bestätigung: the confirmation

Questions & Answers about Ich brauche Bestätigung.

What part of speech is Bestätigung, and why is it capitalized?

Bestätigung is a noun (it names a thing or concept). In German, all nouns—regardless of whether they are common or proper—are always capitalized. This helps learners spot nouns easily in sentences.

What is the gender of Bestätigung, and how do I use its article?

Bestätigung is feminine.

• Definite article: die Bestätigung
• Indefinite article: eine Bestätigung
• Plural: Bestätigungen
  When you speak of one specific confirmation, you’d say eine Bestätigung, but in your sentence it’s used in a general sense without an article.

Why is there no article before Bestätigung in Ich brauche Bestätigung?

Here Bestätigung is used in an abstract or general sense—“I need confirmation” in principle—so no article is required. If you want a specific confirmation (for example, a document or email), you would typically say Ich brauche eine Bestätigung.

What case is Bestätigung in, and how do I know?

It’s in the accusative case because it functions as the direct object of the verb brauchen (“to need”). In German, the direct object of a verb is put into the accusative. For feminine nouns, the accusative form of the article (die → die) looks the same as the nominative, so you don’t see a change here when no article is used.

How do you pronounce Bestätigung, and which syllable is stressed?

Pronunciation (IPA): [bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡʊŋ]

• The stress falls on the second syllable: -schte
• The final -ung sounds like [ʊŋ].
  You can approximate it as “beh-SHTAY-ti-goong.”

Could I use benötigen instead of brauchen? What’s the nuance?

Yes. benötigen is a more formal synonym of brauchen.

• Ich brauche Bestätigung. → common, everyday language
• Ich benötige Bestätigung. → more formal, suitable for official or business settings

How can I make the sentence more polite when asking someone for confirmation?

You can add bitte or rephrase with a polite modal construction. For example:

• Ich brauche bitte eine Bestätigung.
• Könnten Sie mir bitte eine Bestätigung schicken?
• Ich wäre Ihnen für eine kurze Bestätigung dankbar.

Why is the verb brauchen in the second position and Bestätigung at the end?

In a main clause, German follows the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second slot. Here, Ich is the first element, brauche is the second, and the object (Bestätigung) comes afterward. If you front another element—e.g., Morgen—you’d still put brauche second: Morgen brauche ich Bestätigung.