Breakdown of Eine neue Brücke verbindet die Stadt mit dem Dorf.
neu
new
mit
with
die Brücke
the bridge
das Dorf
the village
verbinden
to connect
die Stadt
the town
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Questions & Answers about Eine neue Brücke verbindet die Stadt mit dem Dorf.
Why is Brücke capitalized?
In German, all nouns are always capitalized, regardless of where they appear in a sentence. That’s why Brücke (bridge) starts with a capital letter.
Why do we say eine neue Brücke rather than just neue Brücke or eine Brücke?
German usually requires an article before a noun. Eine is the indefinite article for feminine nouns in the nominative case (our subject). Neue specifies that the bridge is new. Without eine, you’d sound incomplete; without neue, you’d simply say “a bridge.”
Why does neue end in -e here?
This is adjective declension. After an indefinite article (eine) plus a feminine noun in the nominative, adjectives take the weak ending –e. Hence eine neue Brücke.
What case is die Stadt, and why?
Die Stadt is accusative. It’s the direct object of the verb verbindet (“connects”), receiving the action of the bridge. The feminine nominative article die stays die in the accusative for feminine nouns.
Why is it mit dem Dorf instead of mit das Dorf?
The preposition mit always requires the dative case. The dative form of neuter das Dorf is dem Dorf.
What’s the word order in Eine neue Brücke verbindet die Stadt mit dem Dorf?
German main clauses follow the Verb-Second (V2) rule:
- The subject or another element comes first: Eine neue Brücke
- The finite verb is second: verbindet
- Then the objects/phrases: die Stadt (accusative object) mit dem Dorf (dative prepositional phrase).
Can I omit neue and just say Eine Brücke verbindet die Stadt mit dem Dorf?
Yes. Dropping neue simply removes the detail “new.” You still have a grammatically correct sentence: “A bridge connects the city with the village.”
Why use verbindet? Could I use verknüpft instead?
Both verbs mean “to connect,” but verbinden is more common for physical connections (roads, bridges, trains). Verknüpfen often refers to linking ideas, files, or abstract concepts (e.g., linking documents). For a bridge you’d choose verbinden.
How would I say this sentence in the perfect tense?
You’d use the auxiliary haben + past participle verbunden:
Eine neue Brücke hat die Stadt mit dem Dorf verbunden.
Can I express the connection without using mit?
Yes—if you list both endpoints as direct objects, joined by und. You’d say:
Eine neue Brücke verbindet die Stadt und das Dorf.
Here both die Stadt and das Dorf are in the accusative case.