Breakdown of Geduld ist der Schlüssel zum Erfolg.
sein
to be
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
zu
to
der Erfolg
the success
der Schlüssel
the key
die Geduld
the patience
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Questions & Answers about Geduld ist der Schlüssel zum Erfolg.
Why is there no article before Geduld?
Geduld (“patience”) is an abstract, uncountable noun. In German, when you talk about something in a general or abstract sense, you often omit the definite article. If you meant a specific kind of patience, you could say die Geduld, but here it’s a general statement: Geduld ist ….
Why do we say der Schlüssel and not den Schlüssel or ein Schlüssel?
Schlüssel is a masculine noun. In this sentence it’s a predicate nominative (a subject complement with the verb ist), so it must be in the nominative case. The definite article for masculine nominative singular is der. If you said ein Schlüssel, you’d mean “a key”—one of several possible keys—whereas der Schlüssel means “the key,” implying it’s the main or most important factor.
What does zum Erfolg mean, and why is it “zum” instead of “zu Erfolg”?
zum is a contraction of zu dem. Erfolg (“success”) is a masculine noun, and when you use the preposition zu, it requires the dative case. The dative singular masculine article dem + zu contracts to zum, giving zum Erfolg (“to success” or idiomatically “to achieve success”).
Why does the preposition zu demand the dative case?
In German, certain prepositions always govern a particular case. zu is one of the “dative-only” prepositions. That means any noun or pronoun following zu must be put in the dative case.
Both Geduld and Schlüssel look like subjects—are they both nominative?
Yes. With the verb sein (“to be”), the subject (Geduld) and the predicate noun (Schlüssel) are both in the nominative case. That’s a special feature of sein and a few other linking verbs.
Could I invert the sentence and say Der Schlüssel zum Erfolg ist Geduld?
Absolutely. That inversion is perfectly natural in German and places emphasis on der Schlüssel (“the key”). The meaning remains exactly the same.
How would I pronounce Geduld ist der Schlüssel zum Erfolg?
In IPA notation:
• Geduld [ɡəˈdʊlt]
• ist [ɪst]
• der [deːɐ̯]
• Schlüssel [ˈʃlʏsəl]
• zum [tsʊm]
• Erfolg [ɐˈfɔlk]
What’s the nuance between ist der Schlüssel and ist ein Schlüssel?
ist der Schlüssel = “is the key,” suggesting it’s the main or most essential factor.
ist ein Schlüssel = “is a key,” suggesting it’s one of multiple possible factors or methods.