Breakdown of Die Briefmarke zeigt einen bunten Zirkus.
zeigen
to show
die Briefmarke
the stamp
bunt
colourful
der Zirkus
the circus
Questions & Answers about Die Briefmarke zeigt einen bunten Zirkus.
Why is Briefmarke capitalized in German?
In German, all nouns are capitalized. This rule applies to every noun—common and proper alike—so Briefmarke, Zirkus or Haus always starts with an uppercase letter, regardless of its position in the sentence.
Why is the definite article die used before Briefmarke?
Briefmarke is a feminine noun. Since it’s the subject of the sentence, it’s in the nominative case. The feminine singular nominative definite article in German is die, hence die Briefmarke.
What case is einen bunten Zirkus, and how do we know it’s that case?
It’s in the accusative case because it functions as the direct object of the verb zeigen (“to show”). In German, the direct object is marked by the accusative. Here Zirkus is masculine, so the accusative indefinite article is einen.
Why does bunten end with -en instead of -er or -es?
This follows German adjective declension rules. After an indefinite article in the accusative masculine singular (here einen), adjectives take the -en ending. So bunt becomes bunten in einen bunten Zirkus.