Learn Hardcore German: Dieser Zeitungsartikel benutzt viele neue Wörter. - This newspaper article uses many new words.

Dieser is a demonstrative determiner meaning “this”. It must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies. Here, Zeitungsartikel is masculine (der Artikel) and serves as the subject (nominative case). The masculine nominative form of dieser is dieser. If you had a feminine noun (die Zeitung), you’d use diese, and for a neuter noun (das Buch) you’d use dieses.

Why is Zeitungsartikel written as one word, and what does the -s- between Zeitung and Artikel indicate?

German often forms compound nouns by merging words: Zeitung (newspaper) + Artikel (article) → Zeitungsartikel. The -s- is a linking-s (Fugen-s) used in many German compounds to make pronunciation smoother; it doesn’t add extra meaning.

Why is the verb benutzt instead of benutzen, and why does it appear in that position?

In a main clause, German puts the finite verb in second position and conjugates it to match the subject. Here:

Subject: Dieser Zeitungsartikel
Verb: benutzt (present-tense, 3rd-person singular of benutzen)
Object: viele neue Wörter
The infinitive benutzen is used only in non-finite contexts (e.g. after zu), so here you need the conjugated benutzt.

When do you use viele, and why is there no article like die before neue Wörter?

viele means “many” and functions as a quantifier without requiring a separate article. It replaces a definite or indefinite article when you want to express an unspecified large number. You cannot say die viele neuen Wörter; you simply say viele neue Wörter.

Why is the adjective neu in the form neue and not neuen or neuer?

After quantifiers like viele, adjectives take the strong declension because no article provides case or number information. In the nominative or accusative plural, the strong ending is -e, so neu becomes neue, giving viele neue Wörter.

What case is viele neue Wörter, and how can you tell?

It’s the accusative plural because it’s the direct object of benutzen (“to use something”). You identify it by asking What is being used? → many new words, which marks it as the accusative.

Why do we say Wörter instead of Worte here?

German distinguishes two plurals of Wort:

Wörter: individual words or vocabulary items
Worte: words as a cohesive utterance, often in a literary or formal context
Since the sentence discusses vocabulary units, Wörter is appropriate.

Could you use verwenden instead of benutzen, and is there a difference in formality or meaning?

Yes. verwenden and benutzen both mean “to use.” verwenden tends to be slightly more formal or literary, while benutzen is more common in everyday speech. Both versions convey the same basic meaning here.