Nuts & Bolts of German: Accusative case: Direct object: What's all this about? (III)

direct link to What's all this about? (IV)

Ein Buch

kostet 1 Euro.

subject

  

Kaufst du

ein Buch?
 

direct object

Nein, ich kaufe 6 Bϋcher!

 In the first activity in this section you learnt the difference between a direct object and a subject and you also found out that, in German, the indefinite article is affected by this.

 

Study the following sentences and figure out in which way the indefinite article is affected. Complete the rule underneath. Then press [Check] to see if you were correct. Use the [Hint] button to get a free letter if you need help.

 

noun, its gender and

its number

 noun plays the role

of the subject

 noun plays the role of

the direct object

Rucksack

(masculine singular)

 Ein Rucksack kostet 50 Euro. Sie kauft einen Rucksack.
Jacke

(feminine singular)

 Eine Jacke kostet 120 Euro. Sie kauft eine Jacke.
Buch

(neuter singular)

 Ein Buch kostet 10 Euro. Sie kauft ein Buch.
 

The German equivalent of the indefinite article "a(n)" changes from "ein" to "" if a masculine singular noun changes its role from subject to direct object.

There is difference in the indefinite article when it refers to a feminine or a neuter noun.

So once again, it is only the masculine singular form that causes the problem.

          Umlaute & Eszett:          

 

Wörterbuch (LEO) Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS) Wörterbuch (Linguee) Wörterbuch (dict.cc)  Wörterbuch (PONS) Terminologie A - Z

 

Tip: If you don't belong to the lucky few who possess a photographic memory, write down what you learnt while doing this exercise.

photo: © Dagmar Fischer