Questions & Answers about Ein Freund kommt heute.
The English translation says "is coming." Why isn't there a form of sein (to be) in the German sentence?
German doesn't have an "-ing" tense (present continuous) like English does. You just use the regular present tense verb. So, Ein Freund kommt translates to both "A friend comes" and "A friend is coming." You never use a form of sein combined with another verb to show that an action is happening right now!
Can I put the word heute (today) at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you can say Heute kommt ein Freund. Putting time words at the beginning is very common in German. Just remember the golden rule: the main verb must stay in the second position. When heute takes the first spot, the verb kommt stays in spot number two, which pushes the subject ein Freund into the third spot.
How would I change this sentence to say "Friends are coming today"?
You would drop the word ein (since you can't say "a friends"), change the noun to its plural form (Freunde), and use the plural form of the verb (kommen). The sentence becomes: Freunde kommen heute.
Does ein Freund specifically mean a male friend?
Yes. Freund is a masculine noun referring to a male friend (or a boyfriend), which is why it uses the masculine article ein. If a female friend were coming, you would use the feminine version of the noun and article: Eine Freundin kommt heute.
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