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Questions & Answers about Er trägt den Koffer.
Why does trägt have an umlaut (ä) when the dictionary form is tragen?
tragen is a strong verb. In the present tense, many strong verbs with an a in the stem change it to an ä for the du (you) and er/sie/es (he/she/it) forms. So, ich trage (I carry) becomes er trägt (he carries).
The English translation says 'is carrying', but where is the word for 'is' in the German sentence?
German doesn't have a continuous tense (an 'is doing' form) like English does. The simple present tense form Er trägt translates to both 'He carries' and 'He is carrying', depending on the context.
Why is it den Koffer instead of der Koffer?
Koffer (suitcase) is a masculine noun. Because the suitcase is the direct object of the sentence (the thing being acted upon or carried), it must be in the accusative case. For masculine nouns, the word for 'the' changes from der to den in the accusative case.
Does tragen only mean 'to carry'?
No, tragen is also the standard verb for 'to wear' in German! You use the exact same word for wearing clothes, shoes, or glasses. For example, Er trägt einen Hut means 'He is wearing a hat.'