Breakdown of Kauft der Chef den Computer?
kaufen
to buy
der Computer
the computer
der Chef
the boss (male)
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Questions & Answers about Kauft der Chef den Computer?
Why is it den Computer and not der Computer?
Computer is a masculine noun. In this sentence, it is the direct object receiving the action (it is the thing being bought). When a masculine noun is the direct object, its word for 'the' changes from der to den. This change is called the accusative case.
Since both the boss and the computer are masculine nouns, why does der Chef stay der?
der Chef is the subject of the sentence (the person doing the buying). The subject always stays in its basic dictionary form, which is called the nominative case (der). The accusative change to den only happens to the masculine object being acted upon.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Kauft instead of the subject der Chef?
In German, you form a yes/no question by moving the verb to the very beginning of the sentence. The statement Der Chef kauft den Computer (The boss buys the computer) turns into the question Kauft der Chef den Computer? (Is the boss buying the computer?) just by swapping the first two words.
The translation says 'Is the boss buying', but where is the word for 'is' in the German sentence?
German does not have an 'is doing' tense like English does. The single verb kauft can mean 'buys', 'is buying', or 'does buy'. You never use a separate translation for 'is' or 'does' when talking about an action happening right now.