» drove too fast and got a ticket because of it.»,
» write a new book.», or
«Gave me a bike for my birthday.»
These sentences are obviously not complete, although they do contain some information. However, one of the most important pieces of information is missing, namely which person is performing the actions. This acting person is the subject of the sentence and, as the examples show, necessary to understand the meaning of the sentence.
The subject – definition
The subject is one of the sentence parts in German grammar and is also used as sentence subject designated. To form a grammatically complete sentence, you need at least one subject and one predicate. The subject is one person or one Matterthat performs a specific action. The subject consists of either a Noun, one nominal group or one Pronoun. In addition, the subject is always in the Nominativeso the Basic form of the noun.
The verb that describes the action performed is the predicate of the sentence. The subject and the predicate together form the minimum rate or that sentence minimum.
under one nominal group do you understand them extension of a noun through additional information (e.g. «The fast and strong soccer player»).
Determine the subject
Since the subject is a person or thing performing an action, it can be easily identified by asking «Who or what is acting?» are asked.
Minimal clause with subject
This example is a sentence minimumbecause the sentence consists only of the noun «Alex» and the predicate «learns». The predicate is finite and conjugate verb «learns». The sentence states that a person (Alex) performs (learns) an action. Alex is therefore the subject of the sentence.
Question: who or What learns? → Alex learns.
A finite verb or personal form of the verb called, is a word form within the verbs. The finite verb is conjugated and therefore expresses different characteristics such as person, number (number), gender (genus), mood and time (tense). Also, it adapts to the subject. The opposite of the finite verb form is the infinite Verb form (e.g. «drink»).
«learns» is the finite verb in the 3rd person singular adapted to the subject «Alex».
If you want to find out more about the topic, read our article «Verbs»!
Subject, predicate and object as components of the main clause
Alex learns new vocabulary.
This example now contains three sentence parts and is therefore no longer a sentence minimum. That subject is again replaced by the question «Who is acting?» determined.
Question: «who learns new vocabulary?» → Alex learns new vocabulary.
That predicate of the sentence describes what the acting person is doing and is therefore answered with the question «What is the subject doing?» he asks.
question: «What does Alex?» → He learns new vocabulary.
The rest of the sentence forms that object. The object supplements the minimal sentence with additional information. In this example, the object complements the information about what Alex is learning.
question: «What learns Alex?» → new vocabulary.
objects
There are different types of objects. The object can be in the genitive, dative or accusative, which is why it has to be determined by different questions:
If you would like to learn more about the various objects, read our «Object» explanation!
Subjects composed of several words
Alex, Maxi, Lukas, the rest of his class and the teacher doing a trip.
This sentence shows that a subject is also from more than a word can exist. The subject includes all words that provide an answer to the question «Who or What?» represent.
question: who or What going on a trip? → Alex, Maxi, Lukas, the rest of his class and the teacher.
At a Count Words or phrases of the same rank are replaced by a comma separated from each other.
The snow covers the roofs.
Here the noun group «Der Schnee» forms the subject. Noun group means a group of words with a noun or pronoun as the center. This can have different lengths: «The white snow».
Question: who or What covered the roofs? → The snow
The rehearsal
In the rehearsal the parts of the sentence are rearranged. Thereby it is possible to determine which words really belong to the subject clause. Since individual parts of a sentence are always together, they can only be rearranged together without changing the meaning of the sentence. The parts of the sentence can therefore be interchanged and the sentence is still grammatically correct.
The schoolmate helps him study.
Helps him study the schoolmate.
helps him the schoolmate while learning.
The predicate or verb of the sentence is also a part of the sentence, but can have its do not change positionbut stands always in second place.
The example sentence was rearranged three times, with the sentence parts always being swapped as a whole. As a result, the sentence retains its meaning and is grammatically correct.
The replacement sample
The replacement sample also indicates which words in the sentence belong to a phrase and can be used as an additional check of the conversion sample. In this way it can be determined whether the parts of the sentence were exchanged as a whole or accidentally separated from each other. In the substitute sample, each phrase is replaced with a grammatically similar phrase.
The schoolmate helps him while learning.
The girlfriend supports him at work.
The original sentence could easily be replaced by similar clauses. In the substitute test, clauses with the same function must be used, but not with the same content.
The conversion or replacement test only identifies which words in the sentence form the individual parts of the sentence. In order for you to find out what type of clause it is, you have to ask about the individual clauses.
The Equating Nominative
There are no sentences with two subjects, since only one person or thing can act in each sentence. However, there are sentences that, at first glance, appear to contain two subjects. This is because in some sentences two clauses form the answer to the question «Who or what?» could be. This is the case when the sentence has two clauses that are in Nominative stand, contains.
The example shows that both «Alex» and «my friend» have a correct answer to the question «Who or what?» represent, because both groups of words are in the Nominative. However, the subject can still be distinguished from the other noun in the nominative case if one considers which of the two clauses is actually used acts. The subject is the noun to which the predicate of the sentence refers. Contains a set more than two nouns, must always be determined which one acting clause is.
Question: who is my friend? → Alex.
The second noun in the sentence, in the nominative case, is not used as a subject, but as Equating nominative designated.
Sentences without a subject
Although it is known that a sentence minimum consists of at least one noun and one predicate, there are exceptions where sentences do not contain a subject. These exceptions are presented in the following paragraphs.
passive sentences
The first case occurs when using an active sentence subject, Predicate, dative object or genitive object converted into a passive sentence.
That accusative object is an exception: when the active sentence is changed to a passive sentence, it is placed in the nominative case and thus becomes the subject of the sentence. Example: I love my friend. → My friend is loved (by me).
Active: The soldiers help the victims.
passive: The victims are helped.
In the passive, the object retains its case («Denvictims» is in both sentences in the dative ), and what is happening (the victims are helped) comes to the fore.
«The Victims» cannot be a subject, for this stands always in the nominative.
If you were to analyze the second example (passive), you would have to ask the following questions to find out the individual parts of the sentence:
Question: who or What acts?
This sentence does not provide an answer to the question, because it does not contain a subject.
Question: Whom will be helped? → the victims.
If you ask «Who?», the sentence provides an answer, namely «The victims». So it is a dative object.
A subject is also often missing with verbs that express uncomfortable feelings. Examples are gray, freeze, starve, shudder → «He shudders at spiders.».
The imperative
In the imperative, or also command form called, usually no subjects are used, unless it is the you-form.
rune more quickly!
runt more quickly!
However, the command still allows the subject to be recognized in its respective grammatical person by the ending of the verb or predicate. An “-e” is usually appended to the second person singular, as well as a “-t” to the second person plural. As a result, a longer request is briefly formulated in the command form, which actually contains a subject.
The formulation of the imperative, on the other hand, contains a subject, which can be recognized by the ending of the imperative form.
You should run faster!
Her should run faster!
question: who should run faster? → You or. Her should run faster.
The table gives a few examples showing which endings in the second person singular and plural make the grammatical person clear.
Subject – The most important thing
- The subject is one of the sentence parts in German grammar.
- The subject is the acting person or Matter of the sentence and is therefore a pronounone nominal group or a Noun, which ever in Nominative stands.
- The subject becomes the question «Who or what is acting?» definitely.
- The clauses are replaced by the rehearsal and replacement sample identified and determined more precisely by different questions.
- The subject can also consist of several words, which are usually listed one after the other.
- In sentences with two nominatives there is nonetheless only one subject, which is answered by the question «Who is acting?» is determined.
- In passive sentences with a dative object, the subject is omitted.
- The command form (imperative) also does not contain a subject, but the person can be recognized by the ending of the predicate and the complete form can be derived from this.