Breakdown of Nach jeder Frage setze ich ein Fragezeichen.
ich
I
nach
after
die Frage
the question
jeder
every
Questions & Answers about Nach jeder Frage setze ich ein Fragezeichen.
Why is Nach jeder Frage placed at the beginning of the sentence?
German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule. If you put any element other than the subject (here, the adverbial phrase Nach jeder Frage) in first position, the finite verb must stay in second position. That forces the subject ich to move after the verb.
What case does Frage take after the preposition nach, and why is it jeder instead of jede?
Nach always governs the dative. Frage is a feminine noun, so in singular dative you use the ending -er on the indefinite form: nach jeder Frage.
Why is the verb setzen used here? Does it mean the same as English “to set”?
In this context, setzen means “to place” or “to put.” It’s not a literal calque of English “to set,” but both languages share similar uses: you “place” a question mark at the end of a question.
Why is there an indefinite article ein before Fragezeichen? Could we leave it out?
German requires an article before singular countable nouns. Ein Fragezeichen is indefinite because you’re referring to “a question mark” in general. You cannot omit the article here.
What is the structure of the compound noun Fragezeichen?