Questions & Answers about Er isst einen Apfel und sieht den Film.
Why is the verb isst instead of esst?
The dictionary form of the verb is essen (to eat). Because it is a strong verb, its main vowel changes from e to i when used with er (he), sie (she), or es (it). That makes it er isst. The form esst does exist, but it is used for the you all form, which does not get a vowel change.
Why does sieht change to ie while isst only changes to i?
Strong verbs with an e in the stem can change to either i or ie for the du (you) and er/sie/es forms. It just depends on the verb. For essen, the e becomes an i (er isst). For sehen (to see), the e becomes an ie (er sieht). You simply have to memorize which pattern to use when you learn a new strong verb!
Why do we say einen Apfel and den Film instead of ein and der?