Breakdown of Die Erschöpften sitzen am Lagerfeuer und trinken Tee.
und
and
trinken
to drink
sitzen
to sit
der Tee
the tea
Questions & Answers about Die Erschöpften sitzen am Lagerfeuer und trinken Tee.
What is Erschöpften exactly – is it an adjective or a noun, and why is it capitalized?
Erschöpften comes from the adjective erschöpft (“exhausted”), but here it is used as a noun: die Erschöpften = “the exhausted (people)”.
In German, when an adjective is used on its own to stand for a person or group, it is written with a capital letter.
So die Erschöpften literally means “the exhausted ones” or “the exhausted people.”
Why does Erschöpften end in -en and not -e (why not die Erschöpften vs die Erschöpften with -e)?
The -en ending comes from adjective declension rules.
We have:
- Article: die (definite article, plural, nominative)
- Adjective used as noun: erschöpft-
With die in the plural, the adjective takes the weak ending -en in nominative plural:
die Erschöpften = nominative plural.
If there were no article, you would get the strong ending:
Erschöpfte sitzen am Lagerfeuer. (“Exhausted people are sitting at the campfire.”)
Is die Erschöpften singular or plural? Does it have a gender?