Breakdown of Die Polizei kontrolliert die Geschwindigkeit des Autos.
das Auto
the car
die Polizei
the police
kontrollieren
to check
die Geschwindigkeit
the speed
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Questions & Answers about Die Polizei kontrolliert die Geschwindigkeit des Autos.
Why is die Polizei treated as a singular noun in German?
In German, die Polizei is a collective noun referring to the police force as a whole, so it’s always feminine singular. Consequently, the verb is conjugated in the third-person singular: kontrolliert, not kontrollieren.
What case is die Geschwindigkeit in, and why?
die Geschwindigkeit is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of the verb kontrollieren. Feminine nouns use die in both nominative and accusative, which is why the article remains die here.
Why is des Autos in the genitive case, and how is it formed?
German uses the genitive case to express “of the car.” For a neuter noun like das Auto, the genitive singular article changes to des and the noun takes an -s ending: des Autos.
Can we use a prepositional phrase like vom Auto instead of des Autos?
Yes. In everyday spoken German you often hear vom Auto (i.e., von dem Auto contracted to vom). However, in formal writing the genitive des Autos is preferred.
Is kontrollieren separable, and why is it used here instead of other verbs?
kontrollieren is an inseparable verb, so you don’t split it. In traffic contexts it commonly means “to check” (e.g., with a speed gun). You could also use überprüfen (“to check more thoroughly”) or überwachen (“to monitor continuously”), but kontrollieren is the standard choice for speed checks.
Could we say Des Autos Geschwindigkeit instead of die Geschwindigkeit des Autos?
Grammatically yes, but Des Autos Geschwindigkeit sounds more formal or literary. The usual everyday order is die Geschwindigkeit (head noun) followed by des Autos (genitive attribute).