Word
Ein starker Wind bewegt den Sand der Wüste.
Meaning
A strong wind moves the sand of the desert.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Ein starker Wind bewegt den Sand der Wüste.
Why is it ein starker Wind and not der starke Wind?
Ein is the indefinite article. Use it when you’re introducing something for the first time or talking about something in a general sense—a strong wind. Der starke Wind would mean the strong wind, referring to a specific wind already known.
Why is the adjective ending -er on starker rather than just stark?
In German, adjectives must be inflected to show gender, number, and case. After ein (masculine nominative), the adjective takes the strong ending -er, so starker.
Why is den Sand used here instead of der Sand?
Sand is masculine (der Sand), but here it’s the direct object of bewegt, so it requires the accusative case. The masculine accusative article is den, giving den Sand.
What case is der Wüste, and what does it convey in this sentence?
Der Wüste is the feminine singular genitive of die Wüste, meaning of the desert. It shows possession or origin: the sand of the desert. In the genitive, feminine singular uses der.
Can I replace the genitive der Wüste with a prepositional phrase like aus der Wüste or in der Wüste?
Yes, but it changes the nuance:
- aus der Wüste (dative) means out of the desert, focusing on the source.
- in der Wüste (dative) means in the desert, focusing on location.
You can also say Sand von der Wüste (using von- dative) instead of the genitive, which is common in spoken German.
Why is the verb bewegt in the second position in the sentence?
German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in the second position. Here, Ein starker Wind is the first element, so bewegt comes next.
Could I use another verb instead of bewegt, such as verschieben, verwehen, or treiben?
You can, but each has its own nuance:
- verschieben often implies a deliberate or smaller-scale shift.
- verwehen (from wehen, to blow) is used when wind blows away or scatters sand.
- treiben can mean to drive or push along.
bewegen is the general term for to move, fitting well for a wind moving large amounts of sand.
How do I pronounce Wüste, and what does the umlaut represent?
Pronounced /ˈvʏs.tə/. The umlaut ü represents a front-rounded vowel [y], similar to the French u in tu. The word has two syllables: Wüs-te.