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Breakdown of Veröffentlichung ist wichtig.
sein
to be
wichtig
important
die Veröffentlichung
the publication
Questions & Answers about Veröffentlichung ist wichtig.
Why is Veröffentlichung capitalized?
German always capitalizes nouns. Here Veröffentlichung is a noun formed from the verb veröffentlichen by adding the suffix -ung, so it’s called a nominalization—and like every German noun, it begins with a capital letter.
Why is there no article before Veröffentlichung? I thought German usually requires der, die, or das.
In full sentences you normally include an article (for example, Die Veröffentlichung ist wichtig). However, German allows you to drop the article for generic statements, headlines or bullet points. In that style, Veröffentlichung ist wichtig reads like a slogan: “Publication is important.”
What is the grammatical gender and the plural form of Veröffentlichung?
Veröffentlichung is a feminine noun: die Veröffentlichung (singular). Its plural is formed regularly: die Veröffentlichungen.
Why is the adjective wichtig not inflected here? Shouldn’t it have an ending?
Because it’s used predicatively after the verb sein. Predicate adjectives in German remain uninflected: Die Veröffentlichung ist wichtig. By contrast, attributive adjectives (those placed before a noun) do take endings, for example eine wichtige Veröffentlichung.
In Veröffentlichung ist wichtig, why does ist appear directly after Veröffentlichung? Isn’t the verb supposed to go to the end?
In a German main clause, the finite verb always occupies the second position, no matter what comes first. Here the subject Veröffentlichung is first, so the verb ist comes second. Only in subordinate clauses or after certain conjunctions does the verb move to the end.
Can I say Veröffentlichungen sind wichtig instead? What’s the difference?
Yes, you can. Both express a general truth. You can use the singular noun without article (Veröffentlichung ist wichtig) or the plural without article (Veröffentlichungen sind wichtig). The meaning stays essentially the same—just a stylistic choice between singular or plural generic statements.
What’s the difference between Veröffentlichung and Publikation?
Both mean “publication,” but Publikation (die Publikation, Plural Publikationen) tends to be used in academic or technical contexts (e.g. journal publications). Veröffentlichung is more general and covers any kind of release—news articles, books, software updates, etc. In many cases they overlap, but context and formality will guide your choice.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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