Sentence anatomy: subject, verb, object

Foundationsfree

Every sentence has roles, like a tiny play: someone acts, something happens, someone or something is affected. These roles have names — and German marks them differently from English or Portuguese. So: first the roles, then the marking.

Subject — who acts

The subject is the person or thing doing something. Question: who or what does it? “Der Hund bellt.” (The dog barks.) — Who barks? The dog.

Verb — what happens

You know the verb already. Note for German: in a normal statement the conjugated verb always stands in second position — no matter what comes first.

Heute liest der Mann die Zeitung.Today the man reads the newspaper.“Heute” takes position 1 → the verb “liest” stays in position 2, the subject slides behind it.

Object — who/what is affected

The object receives the action. There are two kinds. The direct object (accusative object) is what is directly handled: “Ich lese die Zeitung.” (I read the newspaper.) The indirect object (dative object) is the receiver or beneficiary: “Ich gebe dem Mann die Zeitung.” (I give the man the newspaper.) — the newspaper is given (direct), the man receives it (indirect).

Sie schenkt ihrer Mutter Blumen.She gives her mother flowers (as a gift).Blumen = direct object (what is given?), ihrer Mutter = indirect object (to whom?).

How German marks the roles

English shows the roles through word order: “The dog bites the man” ≠ “The man bites the dog”. German shows the roles through endings and article forms — the system is called case and gets its own unit. Preview: “Den Mann beißt der Hund” still means *the dog bites the man* — because “den” marks the object, no matter where it stands.

In the C-Test

Many gaps resolve through the role question: “Er gibt sein__ Bruder das Buch.” — To *whom* does he give it? The brother → indirect object → seinem. Ask the question, identify the role, choose the ending.

Exercise

“Der Lehrer erklärt den Schülern die Aufgabe.” (The teacher explains the task to the pupils.) — What is the subject?

Exercise

Where does the conjugated verb stand in a German statement?

Exercise

“Ich schreibe meiner Schwester eine E-Mail.” (I write my sister an email.) — What is the direct object (what is written)?

Exercise

“Den Brief schreibt meine Mutter.” (My mother is writing the letter.) — What is the subject?

Exercise

“Am Montag beginnt der Kurs.” (The course starts on Monday.) — What is the subject?

Exercise

“Morgen fahren wir nach Hamburg.” (Tomorrow we are going to Hamburg.) — Which word is in position 2?

Exercise

“Die Kinder essen den Kuchen.” (The children are eating the cake.) — What is the direct object?

Exercise

“Anna und Tom spielen Tennis.” (Anna and Tom play tennis.) — What is the subject?

Exercise

“Der Arzt hilft dem Patienten.” (The doctor helps the patient.) — Which part is the object?

Exercise

“Den Mann sieht der Hund.” — Who sees whom?

Apply this rule in a free C-Test