Questions & Answers about Das Buch enthält viele neue Wörter.
Why is the verb enthält placed in the second position of the sentence?
In German main clauses, the finite verb always occupies the second position, even if another element (here Das Buch) comes first. This is known as the V2 (verb-second) rule.
What case and role does Das Buch have in this sentence?
Das Buch is in the nominative case because it is the grammatical subject of the sentence. The subject performs the action of the verb—in this case, the book “contains” something.
What case is viele neue Wörter, and how can I recognize it?
Viele neue Wörter is in the accusative plural. You can tell because it’s the direct object of enthält—it’s what gets “contained.” In German, masculine and neuter nouns have a distinct form in the accusative, but plural nouns keep the same form as in the nominative, so Wörter stays Wörter.
Why is the adjective neue ending in -e and not in -en or -es?
After a plural quantifier like viele (which carries no strong ending), adjectives take the weak ending -e in the accusative plural. The pattern is:
– viele (no strong ending)
– neue (weak ending -e)
– Wörter (noun)