Word
Er macht es schnell.
Meaning
He does it quickly.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Er macht es schnell.
Why does the verb end in "-t" here?
The verb is machen (to do / to make). Because the subject of the sentence is er (he), you drop the -en ending and add a -t. This is the standard rule for third-person singular subjects like er, sie (she), and es (it).
Can I change the word order to "Er schnell macht es"?
No, because German has a strict rule for regular statements: the conjugated verb must always be in the second position. Here, the subject Er is in the first position, so the verb macht has to come immediately next.
Wait, doesn't machen usually mean "to make"?
It does! However, machen is a very flexible verb in German. It translates to both "to make" and "to do" depending on the context. In this sentence, translating it as "does" sounds most natural in English.
Why is it just schnell? Is there a German equivalent to the "-ly" in "quickly"?
No, and that makes things easier for you! In German, adverbs (words that describe an action, like "quickly") almost always look exactly the same as their adjective form (words that describe a noun, like "quick"). You just use schnell for both.