Der Zoll kontrolliert das Gepäck, nicht den Reisepass.

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Breakdown of Der Zoll kontrolliert das Gepäck, nicht den Reisepass.

• kontrollieren: to check
• der Reisepass: the passport
• das Gepäck: the luggage

Questions & Answers about Der Zoll kontrolliert das Gepäck, nicht den Reisepass.

What does der Zoll mean here?

Here der Zoll means customs: the customs authority or the customs officers at a border, airport, or checkpoint.

A few useful notes:

• In English, customs looks plural, but in German der Zoll is grammatically singular.
• Zoll can also mean customs duty / tariff in other contexts, but in this sentence it clearly means the border/customs authority.

Why is the verb kontrolliert in that position?

German main clauses normally put the conjugated verb in second position.

So the structure is:

• Der Zoll = subject
• kontrolliert = conjugated verb
• das Gepäck = object
• nicht den Reisepass = contrast/negation

This is standard German word order for a simple statement.

Also, kontrolliert is the 3rd person singular form of kontrollieren, because der Zoll is treated as singular.

Why is it den Reisepass and not der Reisepass?