Breakdown of Der Mann hat vier Katzen und sieben Hunde.
der Mann
the man
und
and
der Hund
the dog
die Katze
the cat
haben
to have
sieben
seven
vier
four
Questions & Answers about Der Mann hat vier Katzen und sieben Hunde.
Do numbers like vier and sieben change endings depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine?
No. In German, cardinal numbers like vier (four) and sieben (seven) do not change their endings to match the gender of the noun. You use the exact same word for masculine, feminine, and neuter things.
How do the plural words Katzen and Hunde work here?
Unlike English, which mostly just adds an 's' to make a word plural, German has a few different plural endings. Katze (cat) adds an -n to become Katzen, while Hund (dog) adds an -e to become Hunde.
Why does the sentence use hat instead of haben?
hat is the 'he/she/it' form of the verb haben (to have). Since the subject is Der Mann (the man, equivalent to 'he'), we use hat. This is just like saying 'the man has' instead of 'the man have' in English.
Why are the words Katzen and Hunde capitalized?
In German, every single noun (a person, place, or thing) is always capitalized, no matter where it is in the sentence.
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