Der Abschied macht mich traurig.

to make

Breakdown of Der Abschied macht mich traurig.

• traurig: sad
• mich: me
• der Abschied: the farewell

Questions & Answers about Der Abschied macht mich traurig.

What does Der Abschied literally mean, and why is it capitalized?

Abschied is a noun meaning farewell, parting, or saying goodbye.
Der is the definite article the for masculine nouns in the nominative case.

In German, all nouns are capitalized, so Abschied must start with a capital letter. The phrase Der Abschied literally means “the farewell / the parting.”

Why is it Der Abschied and not Den Abschied?

Because Abschied is the subject of the sentence, so it has to be in the nominative case.

• Nominative masculine singular: der Abschied (subject)
• Accusative masculine singular: den Abschied (direct object)

In Der Abschied macht mich traurig, the farewell is doing the action (it “makes” someone sad), so it must be der, not den.

Why is it mich and not mir?