Breakdown of Eine Wäscheklammer fehlt noch, deshalb legt meine Schwester das Handtuch erst einmal über den Stuhl.
der Stuhl
the chair
noch
still (up to now)
mein
my; (masculine or neuter, nominative)
legen
to put
Questions & Answers about Eine Wäscheklammer fehlt noch, deshalb legt meine Schwester das Handtuch erst einmal über den Stuhl.
Why is it eine Wäscheklammer?
Because Wäscheklammer is a feminine noun. In the nominative singular, the indefinite article for feminine nouns is eine.
Here, Eine Wäscheklammer is the subject of fehlt, so nominative is required.
How is the word Wäscheklammer built?
It is a compound noun:
- Wäsche = laundry
- Klammer = clip, clamp
So Wäscheklammer literally means a laundry clip. In German compounds, the last part determines the gender, so because Klammer is feminine, Wäscheklammer is also feminine.
How does fehlen work in this sentence?
A very common pattern in German is that the thing that is missing becomes the subject.
So:
- Eine Wäscheklammer fehlt noch. = a clothespin is still missing
If you want to say who is lacking it, that person is often in the dative:
- Mir fehlt noch eine Wäscheklammer. = I’m still missing a clothespin / I still need a clothespin
That is different from the most natural English structure, so it often feels backwards at first.
What does noch mean here?