Unser Modell wirkt realistisch.

Our model seems realistic.

Breakdown of Unser Modell wirkt realistisch.

• unser: our
• wirken: to seem
• realistisch: realistic
• das Modell: the model

Questions & Answers about Unser Modell wirkt realistisch.

Why is it Unser Modell and not Unsere Modell or Unserem Modell?

Unser is the possessive determiner for a neuter noun in the nominative case.

• Modell has the article das → it’s a neuter noun.
• In this sentence, Modell is the subject → nominative case.
• The nominative neuter form of unser- is unser (no ending).

Compare:

• Das ist unser Modell. – That is our model. (neuter, nominative → unser)
• Ich sehe unser Modell. – I see our model. (neuter, accusative → also unser)
• mit unserem Modell – with our model. (neuter, dative → unserem)
• wegen unseres Modells – because of our model. (neuter, genitive → unseres)

What gender is Modell, and how do I know?

Modell is neuter: das Modell.

You generally have to learn the gender with the noun. There is no reliable rule here, but a few hints:

• Many technical, abstract, or foreign-origin words ending in -ell can be neuter, e.g. das Modell, das Hotel, das Niveau.
• However, gender in German is largely arbitrary; dictionary entries and vocabulary lists usually include the article:
  • das Modell (n.) – the model

What case is Modell in, and how can I tell?

Modell is in the nominative case.

Clues:

1. It appears at the beginning and is the doer/experiencer of the action: the model is the thing that seems realistic.
2. The verb wirkt is a simple verb that typically has a nominative subject and (here) no direct object.

So in Unser Modell wirkt realistisch:

• Unser Modell = subject → nominative.
• wirkt = finite verb.
• realistisch = predicate adjective (describes the subject).

What exactly does wirkt mean here?

Here wirkt (from wirken) means “seems / comes across / appears”.

So Unser Modell wirkt realistisch ≈
Our model seems realistic / Our model comes across as realistic.

Important nuances:

• wirken in this sense is about the impression something makes.
• It does not mean “to work” in the sense of “to function” or “to do one’s job” here.

Other common uses of wirken:

• Die Medizin wirkt. – The medicine is working / taking effect. (has an effect)
• Sie wirkt müde. – She seems tired / She looks tired. (gives the impression)

What’s the difference between wirken, aussehen, and scheinen when I want to say “seems/looks”?

All three can be translated as “seem / look,” but with slightly different focuses:

1. wirken – to come across / make an impression

   • Sie wirkt sympathisch. – She comes across as likeable.
   • Focus on the overall impression.

2. aussehen – to look (visually)

   • Das Modell sieht realistisch aus. – The model looks realistic.
   • Focus on visual appearance.

3. scheinen – to appear / seem (often a bit more formal/neutral)

   • Das Modell scheint realistisch zu sein. – The model appears to be realistic.
   • Can sound a bit more distant or tentative.

In many contexts, Unser Modell wirkt realistisch,
Unser Modell sieht realistisch aus, and
Unser Modell scheint realistisch
are all possible, but wirkt emphasizes the overall impression.

Why is realistisch not inflected? Why don’t we say realistisches or realistischer?

Because realistisch here is a predicative adjective, not an adjective directly before a noun.

• Attributive (before a noun, declension needed):

  • ein realistisches Modell – a realistic model
  • unser realistisches Modell – our realistic model

• Predicative (after certain verbs, no declension):

  • Das Modell ist realistisch.
  • Das Modell wirkt realistisch.
  • Das Modell bleibt realistisch.

After verbs like sein, werden, bleiben, wirken, aussehen, scheinen, the adjective is normally used in its base form (no ending).

Why is wirkt in the second position? Could I move it?

German main clauses obey the verb-second (V2) rule:

• The finite verb (here wirkt) must be in second position in the sentence.
• The first position is one constituent (not necessarily a single word).

In Unser Modell wirkt realistisch:

1. Unser Modell = first constituent.
2. wirkt = second position (finite verb).
3. realistisch = rest of the sentence.

You can move other parts for emphasis, but the finite verb stays second:

• Realistisch wirkt unser Modell. – Realistic is how our model comes across. (emphasis on realistisch)
• Heute wirkt unser Modell realistisch. – Today our model seems realistic.

In all cases, wirkt stays in second position.

How would I say “Our models seem realistic” in German?

You need the plural forms:

• Unsere Modelle wirken realistisch.

Changes:

• unser → unsere (plural nominative)
• Modell → Modelle (plural)
• wirkt → wirken (3rd person plural)

How do I negate the sentence: “Our model doesn’t seem realistic”?

You add nicht before the adjective:

• Unser Modell wirkt nicht realistisch.

Word order:

• Subject: Unser Modell
• Verb: wirkt
• Negation: nicht
• Adjective: realistisch

You don’t say: Unser Modell nicht wirkt realistisch.
The verb must remain in second position.

Could I instead say Unser Modell ist realistisch? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Unser Modell ist realistisch. – Our model is realistic.
• Unser Modell wirkt realistisch. – Our model seems / comes across as realistic.

Difference in nuance:

• ist: sounds more objective and definite, as if you are stating a fact.
• wirkt: emphasizes perception or impression; you are describing how it appears rather than asserting it as a fact.

So wirkt is slightly less absolute and more about how it comes across.

Does wirken mean the same as English “to work” (as in “This machine works”)?

Not usually. This is a false friend.

• English “to work (function)” → typically funktionieren in German:

  • Die Maschine funktioniert. – The machine works.

• wirken can mean:

  • to have an effect: Die Medizin wirkt. – The medicine works / has an effect.
  • to seem / come across: Sie wirkt müde. – She seems tired.
  • to work in a professional sense in some contexts: Er wirkt als Lehrer. – He works as a teacher. (more formal/literary)

In Unser Modell wirkt realistisch, it is “seems / comes across as”, not “works”.

How do I pronounce wirkt?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA: /vɪʁkt/.

Breakdown:

• w → like an English v.
• i → short i as in “bit”.
• r → German r, often a uvular sound in the back of the throat.
• k → like English k in “cat”.
• t → like English t in “top”.

It ends in a consonant cluster -rkt, so it’s quite “hard” at the end: vɪʁkt.

How would this sentence look in the past or future tense?

A few basic tense forms:

• Simple past (Präteritum):

  • Unser Modell wirkte realistisch.
  • Our model seemed realistic.

• Present perfect (Perfekt):

  • Unser Modell hat realistisch gewirkt.
  • Our model has seemed realistic. / Our model seemed realistic.

• Future (Futur I):

  • Unser Modell wird realistisch wirken.
  • Our model will seem realistic.

In everyday spoken German, the present and perfect are used most; the future is often replaced by the present with a time expression, e.g.:

• Morgen wirkt unser Modell realistisch. – Tomorrow our model will seem realistic.