et geet ëm

It's About: Et Geet Ëm

Level 4

Et geet ëm + accusative means it is about: Et geet ëm eng wichteg Saach. Wourëm geet et?

How It Works

1. The pattern
et + geet + ëm + accusative:

  • Et geet ëm eng wichteg Saach. (It is about something important.)
  • Et geet ëm dech, net ëm mech. (This is about you, not about me.)

2. Books, films, meetings
Name the book, film or meeting with an or am, and keep et as the subject. The verb stays in second place:

  • An dësem Film geet et ëm eng Famill aus Esch. (This film is about a family from Esch.)
  • An der Reunioun ass et ëm de Budget gaangen. (The meeting was about the budget.)

3. Asking what it is about
There are two common questions. Wou- joins ëm to make Wourëm geet et? (wou- + preposition). Ëm wat geet et? is just as correct, and the dictionary uses both.

4. Pointing forward: drëm
When the topic is a whole clause, use drëm (do + preposition): Et geet drëm, datt jiddereen eppes léiert. (The point is that everyone learns something.)

5. Accusative
Ëm is one of the accusative prepositions, so the article is den or de, not dem: ëm de Budget.

Examples (6)

  1. Et geet ëm eng wichteg Saach.

    It's about something important.

  2. Wourëm geet et?

    What is it about?

    Wou- becomes wour- before the vowel of ëm.

  3. An dësem Film geet et ëm eng Famill aus Esch.

    This film is about a family from Esch.

    The film is named with an, and et stays the subject.

  4. An der Reunioun ass et ëm de Budget gaangen.

    The meeting was about the budget.

    In the perfect, goen uses sinn: ass ... gaangen.

  5. Et geet ëm dech, net ëm mech.

    This is about you, not about me.

  6. Et geet drëm, datt jiddereen eppes léiert.

    The point is that everyone learns something.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the book or film the subject.

    Dëse Film geet ëm eng Famill aus Esch.
    An dësem Film geet et ëm eng Famill aus Esch.

    In this expression the subject is always et. Name the film with an: an dësem Film.

  • Using the dative after ëm.

    An der Reunioun ass et ëm dem Budget gaangen.
    An der Reunioun ass et ëm de Budget gaangen.

    Ëm takes the accusative, so masculine den (here de by the n-rule) is used, not dem.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

et geet ëmLevel 4It's About: Et Geet Ëm

Learn This First

Before It's About: Et geet ëm, learn Prepositions With the Accusative and How Are You? Wéi geet et?.

Words in This Pattern

goenëmwourëmwat