Questions & Answers about Seine Katze isst den Apfel.
Why is it Seine Katze and not just Sein Katze?
The word sein means "his" (or "its"). Like other possessive words, it needs a specific ending depending on the gender of the noun that comes after it. Because Katze is a feminine noun, we add an -e to make it seine.
Wait, I thought sein could also mean "its". How do we know it means "his" here?
You are right, it can be both! The base word sein means "his" when the owner is masculine, and "its" when the owner is neuter. You just have to figure it out from context. Here, we translated it as "his", assuming the cat belongs to a man or boy.
Why does the sentence use den Apfel instead of der Apfel?
Apfel is a masculine noun. Here, the apple is the direct object (the thing being eaten). In German, masculine nouns change their "the" word from der (the subject form, or nominative case) to den (the direct object form, or accusative case).
The dictionary says "to eat" is essen. Why is it spelled isst here?
essen is an irregular verb. When using it for "he", "she", or "it" (like the cat in this sentence), the first e changes to an i. So, the verb becomes isst.
The English translation says "is eating". Why is there no German word for "is" in this sentence?
German does not have an "-ing" verb form like English does. You never use the German word for "is" to say someone is currently doing something. A single verb like isst translates to both "eats" as a regular habit and "is eating" right now.
Learn Seine Katze isst den Apfel and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free