Word
Der Kissenbezug ist noch nicht trocken, aber die Bettwäsche kann schon in den Schrank.
Meaning
The pillowcase is not dry yet, but the bed linen can already go into the cupboard.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Der Kissenbezug ist noch nicht trocken, aber die Bettwäsche kann schon in den Schrank.
sein
to be
nicht
not
aber
but
in
into
Questions & Answers about Der Kissenbezug ist noch nicht trocken, aber die Bettwäsche kann schon in den Schrank.
Why is it der Kissenbezug? What gender is Kissenbezug?
Kissenbezug is a masculine noun, so it takes der in the nominative singular: der Kissenbezug.
The word is a compound:
- das Kissen = pillow
- der Bezug = cover
In German compounds, the last part usually determines the gender, so because Bezug is masculine, Kissenbezug is also masculine.
Why is it die Bettwäsche if it seems to refer to more than one thing?
Bettwäsche is a singular noun in German, even though in English you might translate it as bedding or sometimes bed linens/sheets.
It is a collective noun:
- die Bettwäsche = bed linen / bedding
- grammatically singular
That is why the sentence says:
- die Bettwäsche kann ... not
- die Bettwäsche können ...
So the grammar follows the singular noun, even if the idea includes several items.
Why does trocken not have an ending here?