"Wir essen viele Kartoffeln."
Translation:We are eating a lot of potatoes.
68 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
1) It's akkusative case (Wir essen was?),
2) the noun is in plural (Kartoffeln),
3) and because there is no preceding article attribute "viele" has to have strong declination.
If you look here, with this three parameters only one solution is possible: "[...] viele Kartoffeln".
what I understood from the table was that the reason it has to be "viele" is that "Kartoffeln" are feminine.
No -- it's because Kartoffeln is plural. It's not feminine.
The singular Kartoffel would be feminine, but the plural is plural.
I don't see what a preceding article would have to do with it.
That's what selects between strong, weak, and mixed inflection.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_adjectives#Weak,_mixed,_and_strong_inflection .
"Strong inflection is used: [...] when no article is used."
So since there is no article, you look up the "strong inflection table" (rather than the weak or mixed one), and then look for plural accusative, and find the ending -e.
1004
In this case, the "viele" is not because potato is feminine, but because it is plural. Use Google Translate, and type in "I have many potatoes" for translation into German. Then change the object to a plural masculine noun, like dogs, hats, apples, and you'll see the "viele" from potatoes stays "viele" for masculine nouns as well. Don't confuse yourself with the strong, weak etc inflections yet. You'll see "vielen" when an article is put before "viel." It's "viele Kartoffeln" but "die vielen Kartoffeln," and "viele Meere" but "die vielen Meere."
What other forms of word viel/viele are there? We have "viel" for much, and is it the same word in all positions (nom., acc. Dat.) And all genders?
"Viele" for many, but ending could change based on gender or case. If so, how we write it with different genders and in different cases?
And "vielen" which is many as well, but in case there is article before it or in Dat. Case?
1460
Hello dear mizinamo, how can I fill in a screenshot? Sorry , but I don't know how I should do that. :(
Why cant it be "WE EAT a lot of potatoes "
It can.
but instead it is WE ARE EATING
Both translations are accepted.
Do you have a screenshot of Duolingo rejecting "We eat a lot of potatoes" in a translation exercise? Then share it with us, please -- upload it to a website somewhere (e.g. imgur) and post the URL of the image here. Thank you!
1004
That would be "Wir essen viel Kartoffeln." Or, since "a lot" means "often" when describing a verb, it would be "Wir essen oft Kartoffeln."