Breakdown of Du zeigst den Kindern einen Hund.
ein
a, an (eine)
du
you (informal singular)
das Kind
the child
der Hund
the dog
Questions & Answers about Du zeigst den Kindern einen Hund.
Why is it den Kindern? Isn't den for masculine nouns in the accusative case?
Yes, den is the masculine accusative word for "the", but it is also the plural dative word for "the". Here, the children are the receivers of the action (you are showing the dog to them), so they are in the dative case. The plural dative article is always den.
Why does Kindern have an extra -n at the end? The plural of Kind is just Kinder.
In the dative case, plural nouns get an extra -n added to the end of the word. Since the normal plural is Kinder, we add an -n to make it Kindern. Nouns that already end in -n or -s in the plural are the only exceptions to this rule.
How do I know which part of the sentence is dative and which is accusative?
The verb zeigen (to show) usually takes two objects. The thing being shown (the dog) is the direct object and takes the accusative case, making it einen Hund. The person receiving or viewing the thing (the children) is the indirect object and takes the dative case, making it den Kindern.
Why is it einen Hund instead of ein Hund?