Breakdown of Viele Besucher spenden freiwillig Geld für das Krankenhaus.
viel
many
für
for
das Geld
the money
das Krankenhaus
the hospital
das
the; (neuter, accusative)
der Besucher
the visitor
spenden
to donate
freiwillig
voluntarily
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Questions & Answers about Viele Besucher spenden freiwillig Geld für das Krankenhaus.
What’s the subject, verb, object, and other parts in the sentence?
- Subject (nominative plural): Viele Besucher (who is doing it?)
- Finite verb (2nd position): spenden
- Adverb (manner): freiwillig
- Direct object (accusative): Geld (what is donated?)
- Prepositional phrase (beneficiary/purpose): für das Krankenhaus
Why is it für das Krankenhaus and not für dem Krankenhaus?
Because für always takes the accusative in German. Krankenhaus is neuter, so the accusative article is das: für das Krankenhaus.
Can I contract für das to fürs?
Yes. Fürs = für + das. Fürs Krankenhaus is entirely standard in speech and fine in writing: Viele Besucher spenden freiwillig Geld fürs Krankenhaus.
Could I say an das Krankenhaus (or ans Krankenhaus) instead of für das Krankenhaus?
Yes, with a nuance:
- Geld an das/ans Krankenhaus spenden emphasizes the recipient (the money goes to that institution).
- Geld für das Krankenhaus spenden emphasizes the purpose/benefit (e.g., a fundraiser on its behalf; the money might pass through an intermediary). Both are common and correct.
Can I also express the recipient with the dative, like in English “donate the hospital money”?
Yes: jemandem etwas spenden is possible.
- Example: Viele Besucher spenden dem Krankenhaus freiwillig Geld. Here, dem Krankenhaus is dative (indirect object), and Geld remains the accusative direct object. Typical order: dative before accusative.
Why is it viele Besucher and not viel Besucher?
- viele is used with countable plural nouns: viele Besucher (many visitors).
- viel is used with uncountable/mass nouns: viel Geld (a lot of money). So you could say: Viele Besucher spenden viel Geld.
Why is there no article before Besucher?
Indefinite plurals in German often have no article. Here, viele already quantifies the noun, so you don’t use die. Compare:
- Indefinite: Viele Besucher spenden ...
- Definite: Die Besucher spenden ... (a specific group already known in context)
Where can I put freiwillig in the sentence? Is the given position required?
The given position is natural, but you have options:
- Neutral: Viele Besucher spenden freiwillig Geld für das Krankenhaus.
- Emphasis on voluntariness (fronting): Freiwillig spenden viele Besucher Geld für das Krankenhaus.
- After the object is possible but less common: Viele Besucher spenden Geld freiwillig für das Krankenhaus. German tends to place manner adverbs like freiwillig before the direct object, but word order is flexible for emphasis.
What is the verb-second (V2) rule doing here?
In main clauses, the finite verb must be in 2nd position. The first “slot” can be filled by different elements:
- Subject-first (as given): Viele Besucher | spenden | ...
- Adverb-first: Freiwillig | spenden | viele Besucher Geld ...
- Prepositional phrase first: Für das Krankenhaus | spenden | viele Besucher freiwillig Geld.
Is spenden a regular verb? How do I conjugate it?
Yes, it’s regular.
- Present: ich spende, du spendest, er/sie/es spendet, wir spenden, ihr spendet, sie/Sie spenden
- Simple past (Präteritum): ich spendete ...
- Perfect (with haben): ich habe gespendet Past participle: gespendet.
Why use spenden instead of geben?
spenden means “to donate” (give something voluntarily for a good cause). geben is the neutral “to give.” Using spenden adds the charitable context. You can also use spenden with other nouns: Blut spenden, Zeit spenden, Schatten spenden (trees “provide” shade).
Is spendieren a synonym of spenden?
No. spendieren means “to treat/buy (someone) something” (e.g., Ich spendiere dir einen Kaffee.). spenden is for donations/charitable giving.
Does freiwillig mean “free of charge”?
No. freiwillig = “voluntarily.” For “free of charge,” use kostenlos, kostenfrei, or (colloquial) umsonst. You can do something freiwillig and still pay for it.
What are the gender and plural of Krankenhaus?
- Gender: neuter — das Krankenhaus
- Plural: die Krankenhäuser (with umlaut)
- Related forms: im Krankenhaus (in the hospital), ins Krankenhaus (to the hospital)
What about Besucher—is it singular or plural, and how do I make it feminine?
- Singular: der Besucher (same form as plural)
- Plural: die Besucher
- Feminine: die Besucherin (plural die Besucherinnen) For inclusive wording you might see: Besucherinnen und Besucher or Besuchende (style-dependent).
Why are Besucher, Geld, and Krankenhaus capitalized, but freiwillig is not?
All nouns are capitalized in German: Besucher, Geld, Krankenhaus. freiwillig is an adjective/adverb, so it’s lowercase. Viele is capitalized only because it starts the sentence; otherwise it’s viele.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- Viele: [FEE-leh] — long i: vi = [fiː]
- Besucher: [bə-ZUː-xer] — initial s here sounds like [z]; ch after u is the “ach” sound
- spenden: initial sp = [ʃp] (“shp-”)
- Krankenhaus: au = [aʊ] like “house”; stress on Kran-