Questions & Answers about Ich kaufe ein Buch.
Why does this sentence translate to "I am buying" instead of "I buy"?
In German, there is no separate "am doing" (continuous) tense. Ich kaufe translates to both "I buy" and "I am buying" depending on what makes sense in English.
Why does the verb kaufen end in -e here?
The dictionary form of the verb is kaufen (to buy). Because the subject of the sentence is ich (I), we take off the -en and add the -e ending to make kaufe.
Is the verb always the second word in a German sentence?
In standard statements like this one, yes! The verb (kaufe) must sit in the second position. This is known as the "V2 rule".
Why is the word Buch capitalized?
In German, all nouns (words for people, places, things, or concepts) are always capitalized. Since Buch (book) is a thing, it starts with a capital letter.