Breakdown of Die Unterlagen sind gut sortiert.
sein
to be
gut
well
die Unterlage
the document
sortiert
sorted
Questions & Answers about Die Unterlagen sind gut sortiert.
Why is it sind and not ist?
Because Unterlagen is plural. The subject Die Unterlagen takes the 3rd person plural verb sind. If you were talking about a single item, you would use ist (e.g., Die Unterlage ist ...), though for one “document” Germans more commonly say Das Dokument ist ....
What case is Die Unterlagen, and what role does it play?
It is nominative plural and functions as the subject of the sentence. Note that with the definite article, nominative and accusative plural look the same (die Unterlagen), so the linking verb sind and word order make clear this is the subject.
Is Unterlagen always plural? Can I use the singular Unterlage?
- For “documents/paperwork,” German typically uses the plural die Unterlagen.
- The singular die Unterlage exists. In administrative contexts it can mean “a (supporting) document,” but in everyday language Unterlage more often means “pad/mat/underlay.”
- If you mean exactly one document, das Dokument is the safest choice.
How does Unterlagen compare to Dokumente, Akten, or Papiere?