"Wem gehört das Wörterbuch?"
Translation:Whom does the dictionary belong to?
21 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
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I used to believe that old rule about ending sentences with a preposition as well. But we all know that no one actually says things like "on what did you step?" It is natural to say "What did you step on?" There are many links out there that debunk the myth. Yes, you can end sentences with a preposition. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/ending-sentences-with-prepositions
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‘To whom does this ......belong?’ is grammatically correct, but most people would say ‘Who does this ....belong to?’ as it sounds more natural nowadays.
"Whose dictionary is this?" was accepted for me. Wouldn't it be more Hochdeutsch if someone would use the genitive form "Wessen Wörterbuch ist das ?" A german friend told me that the genitive form (Wessen) is grammatically correct whereas the dative form (Wem gehört) is false. On this website http://www.mein-deutschbuch.de/lernen.php?menu_id=56 I found that the dative form is an alternative for genitive form. My question is: which form is gramatically correct ? I mean in the written language, not in the speaking language, where people tend to make sentences simpler and use the most common words which can lead to grammatical mistakes.
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I am a native English speaker from Idaho and Canada. The word "whom" is falling out of favor no matter where you place it in the sentence, even with copy editors. They prefer to avoid potential grammatical arguments with less troublesome, and more palatable alternatives such as: Who owns this book? Who's book is this? Does this book belong to anyone? But having said this. I don't believe that spoken language should even have grammatical RULES per say. Speakers should be allowed to communicate in natural and also in creative ways and listeners should not get up tight (or even up tite) in how people communicate their thoughts or thots.
Certainly not "Who's book is this?"
I know you meant "Whose book is this?", I am only being pedantic because of the large number of non-native English speakers here.
However, as a native English speaker who does use "whom", I think it is good to teach learners to recognize it, and know the difference. We Americans all had to learn it in the fourth grade or whenever, even though we promptly forgot it after the test.
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"Whose dictionary is this?" Not accepted... If the first suggested understanding of "wem gehort" is "whose is," this should be no problem...
Sometimes it makes sense to end a sentence with a preposition in English. But here's why people say "You should never use a preposition to end a sentence with." ;-) Just omit the "with" -- YOU DON'T NEED IT! "Where's the party at?" Just omit the "at" -- YOU DON'T NEED IT! "What did you step on?" Sure, I'd say or write that. No problem.