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Questions & Answers about Der Konflikt ist vorbei.
What is the role and part of speech of vorbei in this sentence?
Vorbei is an adverb used predicatively with sein to describe a state: something is “over/finished.” The pattern is sein + vorbei. It’s not an adjective; you can’t say ein vorbei Konflikt.
Why is it ist and not hat?
With vorbei, German uses sein because it describes a resulting state rather than an action taking an object. In the past, you’d also keep sein: Der Konflikt ist vorbei gewesen (rare) or more commonly simple past: Der Konflikt war vorbei.
Can I say Der Konflikt ist über like English “The conflict is over”?
No, that’s not idiomatic. Use vorbei, vorüber (more formal), or zu Ende. For example: Der Konflikt ist vorbei / zu Ende / vorüber.
What’s the nuance difference between vorbei, zu Ende, beendet, and vorüber?
- vorbei: neutral, everyday “over and done.”
- zu Ende: neutral/literary, “has come to an end.”
- vorüber: a bit more formal or literary than vorbei.
- beendet: “ended/terminated” (result state), often implies someone ended it. Eventive passive: Der Konflikt wurde beendet (focus on the action of ending).